Sharing a Paopu
by Sanchay
Summary: -*-Abandoned; replaced with new version -*- Sora and friends go on another adventure to defeat HeartlessNobody hybrids. A new girl, Tenna, joins their quest when Riku sends a paopu fruit across the ocean... SoraxKairi and RikuxOC pairings
1. Chapter 1: Cielle, Destiny Islands

Chapter 1

_In a vast ocean, a single fruit floated, following wherever the current took it. It was shaped like a perfect star. The only thing that was wrong with it was that a bite had been taken from it, revealing dark orange meat inside. It floated on…_

_Look how much time has passed…_ Tenna thought as she sat at the jetty near her house and watched the soft low-tide waves lapping at her feet. _Tomorrow I'll be seventeen, and I still remember it…_ She brushed her brown bangs out of her face, when something caught her eye.

It was about seven inches in diameter, had five arms, and was a strong golden yellow. At first, she mistook it for a starfish, when she noticed the leaf attached to a stem at one of the arms. A paopu fruit.

_No way…_ she breathed. _I thought those only grew on the Destiny Islands…_

As she reached out to grab the fruit, she smiled. But the smile vanished as she remembered how things had changed the night of the ferocious storm three years ago, when she had found pieces of an old raft… and her best friend went missing. She gazed out over the horizon to the setting sun.

Meanwhile, on Destiny Islands, a group of three friends also watched the sun go down. Sora and Kairi sat next to each other on top of a bent-over paopu tree, Kairi's head leaning on Sora's shoulder, his hand around her waist. The two had been a couple for about two years, ever since coming home from the World that Never Was. Something special had happened the day they had returned, causing their feelings for each other to grow ever closer for the past two years. The third person leaned against the tree trunk with his arms crossed, long silvery-blue bangs blowing out of his face to reveal turquoise eyes. His eyes held some secret that he couldn't tell the others… at least not yet.

"Sora," he said turning his head to his friend, "Do you want to help me build another raft?"

"Huh?" Sora, now seventeen along with Kairi, leaned over to get a better look at his friend, causing the girl to reposition herself on his shoulder. "Where did_that_ thought come from all of a sudden?" He then noticed Riku's eyes shining, portraying all his thoughts. That was one trait the older boy couldn't get rid of: His eyes never lied.

"So? How about it?"

Sora paused to think, then answered, grinning broadly, "Nah, I think I'll stay here."


	2. Chapter 2: Destiny Islands, Cielle

Chapter 2

Finally, three days later, the raft was complete. It was improved from the last one, made with gummi blocks from old ships Sora had flown in with Donald and Goofy, rather than wood and rope, which were far less capable of holding together when things got rough. Kairi flipped the power switch, and it hummed to life, hovering about 6 inches from the ground Neither of them would let Sora touch the controls. But one good thing was that there were clear skies for traveling today. They all climbed into the cockpit.

It was a few days after Tenna had found the paopu. She had cut it into pieces and dried them, keeping them in a pouch that hung at her hip. She hadn't eaten any of the fruit.

She was at the jetty again that morning, looking for jeweled crab shells, when she saw a spot on the horizon, rapidly growing larger Upon closer inspection, she found it was a boat or something. She hurried to the beach, hoping to get the attention of whomever it was that was operating the craft; hoping to steer them away from the rocks.

Even given the speed at which they were traveling, all three friends were surprised to see land after only a few hours. Riku stood on the prow end of the raft, the engines on the stern propelling them forward at an amazing velocity. Riku was the first to notice the jetty. "Guys, quick!" he shouted, "Cut the engines!"

"Huh?" Sora looked up from snuggling with Kairi in the stern when he was shoved aside by Riku, in an urgent dash to save the raft. He dove for the switch, and the craft slowed enough by the time they hit a giant rock, there was little more than a bit of jarring on deck. "Well, guys," Riku said, smiling and jumping off immediately, "let's go."

Tenna heard the crash, and sprinted back to the jetty. "They didn't see me in time… I hope they're—" She gasped as she got a clear view of the vessel for the first time. It was a multi-colored rectangle with two small flame engines in the rear, and what she guessed to be a cockpit fit for about four people… There were two people coming off now, holding hands. The boy had spiky brown hair, puffy black shorts, and giant sneakers. She would have guessed he was around ten years old, if not for the girl that looked closer to her own age. She had a pink outfit on (it looked rather complicated) and donned long, red, layered hair partially pulled back in a ponytail.

As she was taking all this in, she didn't immediately notice a hand grabbing her foot like one would grab a rock they were climbing. She looked down to see that there actually _was_ someone climbing up the rock she was standing on. She had by that point, however, instinctively moved her foot away, and the hand was fumbling for a new hold. A young man's voice grunted quietly. She reached out to grab the hand, hauling a blue-haired boy by the wrist. Still looking at the ground, hands on knees, he muttered a relieved "Thank you".

"No problem," Tenna replied as she saw the others attempt to climb the rocks. "Hey," she called to them, waving to them, "I can lead you guys to an easier route if you… uh, want…" By the time she had finished her sentence, the spiky-haired boy had leapt up nimbly to where the other boy stood ten feet higher, carrying the girl in his arms.

"Don't mind him," she heard the longer-haired boy say, while looking at the couple. "He's always been a show-off." He turned his head to face her, finally, grinning as if he found something funny. Tenna gasped at his ocean-colored eyes, which sparkled brightly beneath almond-shaped lids. "I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. My name is Riku, and these are Sora and Kairi. We're from the Destiny islands." She didn't quite register the final part of his introduction, for Tenna's subconscious had begun repeating his name over and over, her conscious mind filling with his face. Somehow, she felt she had met him before.

"My name is Tenna. It's nice to meet you all." She didn't know how she could be so calm at this point in time. Then she remembered where they were from. "Hey, um, you wouldn't happen to know…" she fumbled through her pouch and held out the pieces of the paopu fruit. "where this came from?"

Riku stood frozen for a second, then snatched the pieces from her hands. "Did you find this?"

"Yeah, I found it in the ocean."

"_You_ found this? With only _one_ bite take out of it?"

She had to pause. It just didn't make sense. "A bite?"

He picked up one of the arms and showed it to her. She stared at it as if seeing it for the first time. What she thought was merely a bruised section was actually, upon closer inspection, a carving made by someone's teeth.

"I was the one who sent it." He gave two of the arms back, and studied the bitten one. Tenna held the pieces, dumbfounded. Then, all of a sudden, he smiled and handed the piece to her. "Might as well…" An unexplained rush of blood came to Tenna's face as she bit into the arm that she was handed.


	3. Chapter 3: Cielle

Chapter 3

It took the four of them fifteen minutes to get to Tenna's house, the three friends telling her all about their home and how they met. They didn't omit the part about leaving for other worlds, but rather made them sound like exotic places on their home world. They did however, mention Donald and Goofy, and the names of others that helped Sora find his friends, who had been snatched away from Destiny Islands three years before through a powerful storm. At the mention of the date and weather, Tenna nearly tripped on her front steps with surprise.

"Three years ago… Did you build a raft three years ago?"

This time it was the group of friends who looked shocked. "Yeah," Kairi said. Riku scoffed, getting a glare. "Sora and I helped Riku make a wooden raft, but the storm took it away." She didn't mention that the storm was really a void made by the Heartless that sucked up their world into eternal darkness.

"I found the remnants of it! I had no idea where it came from until you mentioned it."

"Well, you see— Gah!" Sora was elbowed in the stomach before he could reveal that the storm wasn't really a storm, but rather a void that ended up destroying the world for some time. But the concept still baffled him, as well as the others. How could she have seen the timbers before the world was swallowed up, or even remember it? After a good long look at Sora, giving him signals with his eyes not to say any more, Riku turned back to Tenna. "Thanks for showing us around." The others agreed and nodded their heads in gratitude.

"No problem," Tenna said. She glanced at Riku nervously, her cheeks darkening ever so slightly, and quietly said, "Um, if it's alright with you, would you like to stay here for dinner before continuing your travels?"

Bypassing politeness, Sora grinned and said, "Yes!" His friends rolled their eyes, trying hard not to smile. They were greeted warmly by Tenna's family, and the conversation lasted well past midnight.

"I insist you all stay with us tonight," Tenna's father said, "We don't have enough rooms, but I can kick a couple people out of theirs, and we'll have enough for Sora and Riku to each have their own. I'll move their occupants to the living room. I'm sure they'll like it." The older of two boys standing next to them, a sulky fifteen-year-old with shaggy brown hair and green-hazel eyes, gave his father an expression that seemed to say, "You have _got_ to be kidding." The younger one, age eight with blond hair and blue eyes, voiced and acted upon his opinion immediately. "Yay!"

"And I'll let Kairi sleep in my bed," Tenna offered.

"Did you make it this morning?"

"Yes, but you probably rearranged it to look weird…"

"Because you didn't make it."

"Whatever."

"Jeeze, how many siblings do you _have_?" Sora asked, genuinely amazed, as he heard a child whining from another room.

"Three brothers."

"So no sisters?" Sora asked.

"Nope. And I admit I'm not into girly stuff because I hang out with so many boys all the time at home…"

"But does that affect your attraction in any way?" she heard Riku say behind her. Before she could turn around to look at him, he exhaled on the back of her neck, causing chills to run down her spine.

"_That wasn't fair!_" she squeaked, whipping around to face him while holding her neck, her cheeks getting redder by the second.

Kairi lay on her back on the floor in her room, looking at the jewels on her ceiling, taken from the shells of crabs she found. It seemed to make the image of a boy.

"Did you make that?" she asked from the bed.

"Yeah."

"How long did it take?"

"About three years."

"It looks kind of like Riku about three years ago."

"Really?" Tenna asked, amazed. Suddenly, it dawned on her. That was why he looked so familiar. She gasped.

"Yeah. I'm serious. Riku's hair was once that length, and even the colors are really accurate to what he used to wear."

"Oh, wow… I just sort of imagined this picture the day after I found the pieces of the raft, and found some crabs with the right colors. Never thought it would be Riku of all people…"

"Yeah."

A slight pause.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you're with Sora?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how did you two first become a couple?"

"Oh, that…" she said as if it were something she talked about all the time and never got tired of it. "Well, it's kind of a long story, and I don't think it's my right to tell it. Ask Sora tomorrow. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Oh. Alright… Good night, then."

"'Night."

Meanwhile, in a different bedroom, Sora was already asleep, snoring quietly for once. Next door to him, Riku was pondering about the paopu, tossing the bitten piece, now with a fresh mark in it, in his hands idly. _She had already had a connection with us before the entire paopu thing. Is she supposed to take a role in the future? Is the future now? Does that also have a connection to the reason I sent the fruit in the first place? I don't even think it was necessary…_

As he pondered, he slipped into the dream realm, but none came.


	4. Chapter 4: Disney Castle, Cielle

Chapter 4

King Mickey didn't have a moment's rest since he returned two years ago. There was rebuilding to be done, and on top of that, there was another threat. While Heartless and Nobodies had made their share of havoc, there was now a created being that was a combination of the two. At first, it was thought by their creator that since the Heartless wished for bodies and Nobodies wished for hearts, they would be happy if they were combined. But it turned out the opposite was true. The two evil forces joined together to make something even more dreadful, and the rational mind, while still in existence, became twisted and deformed to the point that insanity couldn't even begin to describe it. To add to the mess, they were able to split apart into a sort of clone pair; something neither of the others seemed to be capable of doing. This eliminated host bodies and instead, they grew even faster than their counterparts. The lab in which they had been contained was destroyed, and they had escaped fairly recently, it seemed. They were master to no one, not even each other, but they worked together to overpower their world and others to which they had made paths. Disney Castle was beginning to see signs of them, as well.

On a rare break, the king was pacing the library instead of relaxing in the throne room, something pressing his mind, trying to get sorted out. Presently, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." he said, not even pausing his stride.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," said the knocker after turning the handle. "I thought you might like some lunch." Goofy, captain of the Royal Knights, opened the door the rest of the way, pushing a tray with a covered dish on top. "I brought your favorite." With an awkward sweep that ended up looking rather elegant on the clumsy knight, he revealed a sandwich stacked higher than the cover it was under. "Ham, tomato, tomato, cheese, ham, tomato, cheese, cheese, tomato, ham, ham, and cheese."

The king's smile brightened his worry-creased face. "Thanks, Goofy. You really know how to cheer a guy up."

"Gawrsh, Yer Majesty, it was nothin'." Goofy's nose turned the slightest bit of pink with embarrassment, and he scuffed the floor with one of his giant shoes.

Mickey's smile faded. "I've got something to tell you and Donald. Do you know where he is?"

"Well, Sire, I think he's spendin' the day with Daisy. I don't think he'll be back until this evenin'."

"Gosh. When will _that_ be?" King Mickey asked, looking out of a nearby window. The sun was still high in the sky.

But suddenly, Donald rushed in quickly, scrambling to close the door in time to keep out a very angry-looking Daisy. Bracing himself against it, he breathed out a ragged, "Hello… Your Majesty…" The door trembled at the impact from the duck on the other side, angry words muffled by its thickness. Raising his staff, the Court Magician locked the handle with magic. Finally sliding into a sitting position, he slumped for a second before adjusting his hat, panting heavily all the while.

"Oh, good, you're here," Mickey said, a little surprised, "Would you mind sound-sealing this place?"

"_Wak?_" Donald managed to gasp, disconcerted.

"Oh. Well, I guess you can do it once you catch your breath."

About a minute later, a slight shimmer decked the perimeter of the room; it was the only sign that the spell had been cast.

"We've got a problem." Mickey was still pacing, in a small circle. "Demons are attacking."

"Demons?" Donald wondered. "Not Heartless?"

"Or Nobodies?" Goofy added.

"No. It's a combination of both. Flesh-and-blood, just like you and me, a heart just like yours and mine, but a mind so twisted and insane that it can only be described as demonic. This is serious." He stopped to wring his hands, looking away pensively.

"You're gonna have to find Sora, Kairi, and Riku. Otherwise, I don't think things are going to be pretty."

"Ooh! Pretty!" Sora exclaimed, his face pressed against a store window. He stared at a giant sword. His bright blue eyes were glazed and a huge, goofy grin was plastered on his face. Kairi was trying desperately to de-plaster him from the glass.

"Need some help?" Riku asked her, smirking.

"It'd be nice," came her cool reply.

He smiled, then jerked around suddenly and pointed at a random spot, shouting, "Sora, look! A Dusk with a gun!"

Quickly turning, Sora whipped out his Keyblade. "Where?!" He immediately glared at Riku with a smile. "Heh. Riku, you're funny." he laughed, "Dusks don't have _guns…_"

Riku placed a hand on his forehead. Sora hadn't even regarded that there wasn't anything there in the first place.

"Come on, Sora," Kairi grabbed his hand before he had a chance to look in the window again.

Just then, Tenna came out from a bookstore, peeking from behind a tower of books, which were mainly comics. "So, how do you like it so far?"

"There's a lot more variety here than on the islands," Kairi said, a small black purse slung around her shoulder, bags of new clothes in her hands. "Are you sure your parents are alright with letting us use their munny card?"

"'They may spend as much as they like. They're our guests.' is what they said. _I'm_ certainly taking advantage of it." The books she had bought began to wobble. "Meep…" She danced around, trying to steady them.

"Here, let me get some of those." Riku reached out to grab the books that were higher up in the stack.

"N-no, you don't have to…" she stammered. But she knew it was too late.  
Riku glanced at the topmost book: a romance-adventure novel. "Hm… Interesting choice of reading…" He grinned as he read the title. "_Sharing a Paopu_… Sounds corny, like some high school kid's writing it or something." he said, smiling.

"Gah! I'll carry that one!" Tenna blushed, and attempted to take it from him, but he kept it out of her reach, which, given the fact that he was only about an inch taller than her, involved moving it sideways rather than keeping it higher than she could reach. All the while, he laughed at her antics. She was very red now, not really knowing why. "Not fair," she whined, stopping her frenzy of trying to get the book back, now more concerned with hiding her face.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a red-and-yellow shape shot by overhead.

"Was that what I think it was…?" Sora asked in wonderment.

"Almost definitely," came Riku's reply. "Let's go."

"Hey, _I'm_ the leader!" Sora complained.

Tenna was confused. "Go where?" she asked.

"Back to the islands," said Riku.

"Oh. Already?" Tenna felt a bit saddened. "Well, I hope you had a good time here, and I'm sorry it wasn't more entertaining other than food and a little shopping."  
Riku smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it. Of course we'd be obligated to take you back here."

"What?" Before the thought had registered in her brain, he had grabbed her hand and began pulling her along to the jetty. "Wait! What are you doing? Where are you taking me? Hey!"

"You'll see soon enough," he said as he ran after Sora, who was gliding above the ground like an airplane, with Kairi firmly in his grip. Tenna didn't really wanna know where he learned how to do that.


	5. Chapter 5: Destiny Islands

Chapter 5

Never before had Tenna been on anything so fast. The wind whipped her hair every which way as they sped above the water, and she could barely stand without bracing herself against something. _I can't believe it,_ she thought, _I'm actually going to the Destiny Islands… I never thought it was possible…_ Sora and Kairi were already snuggling in the stern – they seemed to be closer than she had originally thought – and Riku was sitting cross-legged in the front section. She figured she should leave Sora and Kairi alone to do whatever they were doing, so she staggered over and sat down beside the boy who had taken her, hugged her knees, and watched him, for she didn't exactly know what to say. It hadn't really set in that she had technically been kidnapped.

After a few minutes just listening to the roar of the wind mixed with the engines Riku said, "Sorry for the suddenness of all this…"

"Y-you don't have to be," Tenna said nervously, trying to be optimistic of the situation. "I've always wanted to see what was beyond the horizon… I just never knew it was the Destiny Islands."

"Just between you and me, I'd rather not go back."

"Why?" Tenna asked, _I guess anyone could get sick of living in one place all their life,_ she thought. _Including me._

"I've seen too many other places to think that where I grew up has anything other than great memories." The laughter was gone from his eyes as he stared over the sea. "And some of the worst." He changed the subject. "By the way that ship was moving, I think all we'll have time for is introductions before being on our way."

"Introductions?" she asked, confused, "And on our way where?" Tenna asked, "And what was that thing? You obviously know where it came from."

"Things will be explained when we get there. I have a feeling they'll enjoy your company." He noticed a small speck on the horizon and jerked to attention. Turning to the stern, he called, "Sora! Pay attention! We're almost there, so cut the engines on my signal."

"There's no one here…" Donald slouched wearily. "We searched this entire island, top to bottom, and no one showed up."

"Ya know, Donald, they may come later. We just have to wait." Goofy had just come out of a shack on the shore and sat down on a ledge nearby.

Donald kicked some sand in rage. "Gaaaaah! I'm _sick_ of waiting! I wanna go back home and be with Dai—" He paused for a second. "No, never mind. I guess I'll stay here for a little wile longer…" He shuddered at the memory of the incident at the castle.

Suddenly the knight noticed something coming at them with rediculous speed. "Uhh… Donald, I think ya better come look at this…"

The small gummi raft sped across the shallows and onto the beach, where it collided with the shack where Goofy had been less than a minute before, totally demolishing it. The dog's nose went nearly white with the near-death experience. A voice mumbled through the rubble. "You idiot! Can't you keep your eyes on me for _one minute_ so you can see the signal?"

"How was _I_ supposed to know?" another voice responded.

Riku was the first person to emerge from the rubble, pulling Sora behind him by the ear, causing the younger boy to protest loudly.

"It's Sora and Riku!" Goofy exclaimed with a joyous smile and a small leap.

"_Told_ you they would show up sooner or later…" Donald said, grinning smugly.

"But Donald, weren't you the one who—"

"Hush." he said, his embarrassment causing an angry expression to show on his face.

Letting the argument go before it escalated any further, Goofy asked Sora, "Hey, how's Kairi these days?"

Sora, his ear finally freed form his friend's grip, rubbed it and pointed behind him with his thumb at the wreckage. "You can ask her yourself, if you want to."

A few seconds later, Kairi came out, delicately stepping over splintered boards. Turning back to the hole, she spoke into a crevice, "Hey, Tenna, come out and meet these guys."

"Tenna?" Donald asked inquisitively.

The girl peeked around a piece of wood that was still upright, her eyes flickering back and forth nervously. "H-hello… Um, I have no idea what's going on…" She finally got a good look at the two figures standing on the beach, and couldn't help but giggle a little bit.

"What's so funny?" Donald demanded.

"It's just… I've never seen anyone quite like you before…" She clasped her hands behind her back, a habit she had picked up when she was trying to be polite. "May I know your names, good sirs?" she asked. Sora snickered, causing her to blush with embarrassment _Who says those kinds of things?_ she thought, angry with herself for even opening her mouth. He immediately looked as if he got told off by someone, though no words were said. She did notice Kairi sighing afterward, though.

"… I'm not telling you my name…" Donald said, annoyed.

"That one's Donald Duck. And I'm Goofy. Pleased to meet ya." said Goofy, bowing in that awkward-yet-elegant way of his. While he was leaning down, he whispered to Donald, "You know, it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer to a gal ya just met…"

"Phooey," Donald whispered back as the knight straightened. He smiled, but made it obvious that he wasn't enjoying it.

By that time, Tenna had wandered to the ship, all politeness forgotten as she poked it. The substance jiggled a bit, but not as much as the fruit molds her mother sometimes made. She remembered the raft was made of the same stuff. She squealed with delight, and went to investigate the rest like a curious kitten.

"So, what's happening?" Sora asked, shifting his weight to one foot and placing his hands behind his head, as if in a reclined position.

"We need you to come back with us to Disney Castle," Donald said.

"That's all?"

"Well, King Mickey has a mission to give us," Goofy explained.

"Then let's go!" Kairi said, suddenly excited.

"Am I coming still?" Tenna called from the other side of the ship.

"Yes," Riku answered at the same time Donald shouted, "No!" Both of them repeated the other's statement in question form, Donald's stance that of a shocked duck, Riku standing with arms akimbo, glaring at the magician.

"Are ya sure this is such a good idea, Riku?" Goofy asked cautiously. "That might be mudd… uh, middle, muddle…" He scratched his head, trying to remember the right word.

"I'm pretty sure meddling doesn't matter anymore," Riku responded. "Too many people already know about it."

"Yeah, meddlin'! That's the word!"


	6. Chapter 6: Gummi Ship, Disney Castle

Chapter 6

"Come on. I haven't driven this thing in so long!" Sora complained to Donald, who sat at the controls.

"No! I don't wanna crash land somewhere again."

"It's been three years and you're still mad about that?"

"You're not going to fly this ship!"

Preparations were underway, and Tenna was very excited. She kept asking questions, and to her dismay, many were still left unanswered. She ended up asking Sora about his and Kairi's story; how they met, and so forth. Sora agreed to talk about it when they actually took off.

"So, where is this Disney Castle, anyway?" she asked as the main engines finally roared to life. "I've never heard of it, and I think I would remember something with a name like that."

"Likely, not many people have heard of it," Sora replied. The ship began to pick up speed, heading higher and higher into the atmosphere. "For you see, the Castle is in another world."

Tenna gasped, just as there was a lurch of high acceleration, nearly making her explode from the gaining and loss of breath at the same time. She watched as the color of the sky rapidly changed from light blue to deep purple, then to black, dotted with millions of stars. In the distance, and swiftly getting closer, was a sort of flowering section of color, and in the center was a light in the shape of a keyhole. They headed straight for it, and were soon enveloped in a light so bright, Tenna had to close her eyes tightly as they passed through. Sora rotated his chair to face her.

"I promised to tell you once we took off, so now I will," he said, grinning. "You see, it all started when there was a meteor shower one night…" He began the story of how he and Kairi came to be so close. Every now and then, Goofy and Donald had to interrupt with the true account. Even Kairi (And, not surprisingly, Riku) corrected him here and there.

The ship seemed to be moving through an area with air friction, for she saw that the engines were still running, yet they were moving at a steady pace. Yet something told her that was not the case, and physics didn't apply in some situations. Pretty soon, Tenna saw another white keyhole shape, and she squinted again. At the other end of the warp was the most sparkly, shiniest globe of a planet she had ever seen.

"Wow," she breathed.

"It always takes my breath away, too," Sora said, placing a hand on his chest with a stern expression that was clearly just for show. Riku thwapped him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

By that time, the ship had slowed down enough that they wouldn't be burned to a crisp upon entry into the atmosphere, or land too hard on the surface. Tenna tried to think of what would happen if Sora had driven, and quickly wished she hadn't, as images of fireballs plagued her mind. Happy fields of flowers. Puppies… These were good things… Think of these things…

A trap door in the courtyard of the castle opened up for them to pass through. Once they had, giant gloved hands grabbed the ship, and carried it to a platform, where the occupants could get off. A voice crackled into the radio receiver.

"You guys are late, you know," said a squeaky voice from a speaker.

"The king was waiting for over an hour." another said, slightly huskier, but still high-pitched.

Before Tenna could ask who they were, the ship's doors opened, revealing two small chipmunks on the other side. "Aww… Can I hug them?" she asked, her attitude suddenly sugar-sweet.

"Oh, boy… We have one of _those_…" Donald grumbled as they all filed out.

The castle itself was grander than anything Tenna could imagine. The walls and ceiling were huge, and the floors were immaculate, thanks to the broom-servants she saw scattered about, carrying out various tasks. _Strange_, she thought as she passed one, _But things are probably going to get stranger later on…_ She quickly caught up with the others, who were by this time farther down the hall.

Goofy, who was leading the group to their destination, turned to a smaller corridor which led to the library. Two figures were standing at the door: King Mickey, in the clothes he had worn when helping Sora many years ago, and Daisy, looking genuinely ticked off. Donald noticed her mood and tried to find something to hide behind. Kairi was closest, and he rushed to her, but Daisy caught him in the act.

Kairi smiled at him and laughed. "You're a sitting duck, now."

"Wak…"

"There's no time now for fooling around," While it wasn't loud, the king's voice was commanding enough to draw all eyes to him. "We have more important matters to take care of." He nodded to Tenna, an expression on his face that was neither hostile nor friendly, but to acknowledge her presence. "If all of you could please follow me… Except you, Daisy. I just remembered the Queen wanted to speak with you." The duck nodded and departed, her quarrel with her love of little importance compared to the Queen's needs.

The second the door closed, the king began to speak of the threat to the four newcomers. Donald and Goofy stood to one side of the room, since they had already heard about it. Tenna felt a spark of excitement run through her entire body as the King spoke. She was being treated as if she was going on the mission as well. Presently, King Mickey turned to face her. "I'm curious as to how you got caught up in this mess, though…"

Riku, who had been silent since entering the Castle, finally spoke. "I brought her here, Your Majesty." He paused, looking at the floor, before continuing. "I think we've been connected since the first Heartless invaded three years ago, even though we've only known each other for two days. She's had visions of me since the restoration of the islands, and even shared a paopu fruit with me. I have no idea why I thought of sending it in the first place, other than a force working before the thought even occurred to me. I think she was destined to help us with this mission, even as long ago as it's been." He smiled, and with a mischievous glint in his eye, added, "Plus, I think she's cute, so of course I had to take her along." Tenna instantly reddened, and he laughed.

_It was just a joke_, she thought, somehow turning redder with embarrassment.

"I see…" the king said after a moment. Then he sighed. "Well, there's no turning back now. We have to stop those things. Are you up to it?"

Tenna couldn't hide her pleasure. "Hecks yes!" she shouted, her eyes shining with a plethora of emotions, her body positioned to jump in the air at any moment. _So much to see, so much to do…_ she sang in her head.

Mickey chuckled. "Then I guess I'll send you guys on your way. The more we talk here, the harder it'll be to get going."


	7. Chapter 7: Disney Castle, Gummi Ship

Chapter 7

Tenna was getting a run-through of all the special items she would need on her journey by Sora.

"Okay. Potions give you enough energy not to die, and Hi-Potions are usually saved for after a battle or if you don't want to heal yourself as often, giving you more time to attack instead of saving your butt, like with a powerful boss."

"Boss?"

"Basically the most powerful enemy in the area."

"Ah."

"Anyway, Ethers restore some of your magic when you're low, a lot like Potions."

"I don't have—"

"We'll share spells when we actually get going. You'll gain certain abilities later, too."

Tenna's eyes sparkled and she grinned. "Eee…"

"Anything," he continued, "with the word 'Mega' in its name affects the entire party, not just yourself, and gives you more time to fight without having to worry about when your allies' health will run out. Elixirs are the best, because they restore one hundred percent of your magic and health. The best thing about them is they come in Mega form, but they're super-rare and cost a lot of munny in the store. And finally there's Phoenix Down, which is a feather, and it revives you if you faint from lack of health." He paused. "Riku can talk to you about weapons and stuff."

Tenna glanced at him, where he was leaning against a bookshelf on the opposite wall, reading… he novel she had bought that morning. She blushed again as she walked up to him. She didn't really want to snatch it away from him, though, so instead, with a shaky, broken voice, she began, "Er, Sora said, uh…" she cleared her throat to speak more clearly. "He told me to come to you about weapons and, um… 'stuff'."

"Didn't want to tell you himself?" he asked, an irritated expression on his face as he glared at Sora. She shook her head. "Alright… First of all, what are you going to use for a weapon?"

"Er… What is there to choose from?"

Riku waved to a pile in the corner, where there was an intricate treasure chest full of assorted… things. Some of them were weapons that she didn't even think would function in battle… Like something that looked like a child's baton. It was even pink with a bunch of tassels on the end. "Take your time; you'll be using whatever you pick for the rest of your time with us." _I'm just curious how long that will be, if it will take only a few days, or several months,_ he thought.

Tenna rummaged through the pile. After a little while, she selected two simple ring-shaped blades about 10 inches in diameter.

"The chakram," he said, as if reading a handbook, "Melee weapons. Good for both close-range and long-range attacks, though best when enemies are practically right next to you, as their reach is quite short. As for long-range, they will have to be retrieved, as they are projectiles. Meaning you will only have two shots before you're only left defending until you can get your hands on them again. Are those what you wish to take?"

She looked back at the other things she could have gotten, and nodded.

"Then these will be the basis of your training. For starters, let's just work on handling the weapons and some basic moves in the courtyard." He led the way outside.

Within the hour, Tenna was sweating and leaning against a statue, trying to catch her breath. In that time, she had learned a basic three-strike combo, and was now able to execute it extremely quickly.

"You'll automatically be able to learn better moves and more of them when you gain more experience." he said.

"How does _that_ work?"

Riku paused, seeming to think about it for the first time. "You know, I don't exactly know. It just does. When you're ready, we can discuss armor."

"Does that require movement?" she gasped, nearly collapsing at the thought.

Riku grinned. "It doesn't _have_ to, I guess…"

"Then I'm ready."

"Okay. Armor comes in the form of anything from belts to bracelets to anklets. They provide extra defense, usually, but some help resist certain types of magic." He pointed to a ring on her right hand. "Which goes along with accessories. May I?" he asked before he took her hand, making her blush slightly. It was warm and she could feel his strength in the gentle way he held her. "What you have here is your standard enhancement accessory. This one happens to boost your defense. Others increase your ability capacity, and some resist certain magic. Basically, it's a smaller version of armor, mostly in ring or necklace form, but just as helpful." He put the ring back on and let go of her hand. "And that's about it."

"So we're ready to go?" Kairi asked, emerging from a door.

"We're leaving already? Tenna asked, slumping. "But I'm so tired…"

"That's the price of saving the world," Riku said, patting her shoulder and smiling. "You can hopefully get some rest on the ship, if we don't get blown up."

"Fun!" she said sarcastically.

"Don't tell me you're backing out already." said Sora, who walked up to Kairi.

"I never said that!"

"Then I suggest we leave more or less right now." said Riku.

"Again, taking my role away from me, the leader, who's _supposed_ to be the one to issue orders…" Sora grumbled, sulking.

"It would be nice if you actually _gave_ orders once in a while," Riku shot back.

They were back on the ship, getting ready to take off to whatever world lay ahead.

"Here's a new one," Donald said, looking at the available paths. "It's called—"

"Hawaii…?" Goofy asked, curious. "All the other worlds we went to had names I could understand…"

"Phooey," said Donald, pulling the throttle.


	8. Chapter 8: Hawaii

Chapter 8

People. There were tons of them. That was Tenna's first thought as they stepped from the ship. Indeed, the beach they had landed near was filled to a ridiculous level. There were people lying on towels underneath umbrellas, swimming in the ocean, and even riding weird boards that swept across the waves with ease. They were everywhere. And what was really strange, they didn't seem to care that they had strange clothes, almost as if they'd seen stranger things.

"Guys," Sora said presently. "Look." He pointed away from the beach, by a path. "I think we have our first enemies."

A patch of shrubs suddenly shrank and contorted into a nearly-white form with glowing yellow eyes. Two more bushes did likewise. The three of them surrounded a small girl, who was sopping wet form the sea. Sora ran up and attacked them with his Keyblade. "Um, do you think we should help him?" Tenna asked, watching the skirmish.

"Nah," Riku replied. "He can take care of him—"

Suddenly, a sound between a pop and a crack was heard, and Sora rocketed out of the cluster of creatures. He landed on his back, two bandages somehow plastered to his face in an X formation, though Tenna wasn't sure where they had come from. The spiky-haired boy let out a groan.

"Here," Riku said, handing Sora a Potion. He took it, and gulped it down. Green petals floated down from somewhere, and within ten seconds, he was back on his feet.

"Works wonders, that stuff," he said, and reentered the struggle. Fortunately, there was little fighting left to be done.

Suddenly, a purple glow surrounded Tenna for a second. A voice in her head suddenly said, _Level 2. Gained new ability, Low Strike. A critical finishing move. Cost: 2 Ability Points. Equip?_

_Uh… Yes? _she replied with her mind.

_Low Strike equipped. Remaining Ability Points: 2_

"That's so weird…" she said aloud.

"You'll get used to the voices in your head," Sora said.

"Gee, glad to know that I'm not the only one…" she said sarcastically. "Hey, where'd that girl go?"

Kairi pointed down the path to see the wet girl run away, but not before taking a picture of a rather large man with a mint-chocolate-chip ice cream cone. The ice cream promptly fell to the ground.

"We'd better follow her to make sure she's alright," Kairi said, concern plastered on her face. Tenna nodded, also worried about her. The two girls ran ahead as Sora and Riku took a bit more time in their decision. They soon caught up with them at a smallish building and went inside.

What they found was a whole group of young girls, aged anywhere from six to eight, on a stage wearing grass skirts and dancing under the instruction of a heavyset man in a floral shirt. He turned to them as they entered, and the child they had been following took that opportunity to slip in among the others from backstage.

Apparently, she was still wet enough to leave a puddle on the floor, for a few seconds later, an orange-haired girl with freckles and glasses slipped, falling backwards onto her hands.

"Oww…" she whined. (_Her voice is really annoying,_ thought Tenna) "Lilo, this is all your fault! My wrists could be fractured now!"

"I'm sorry!" she answered.

"What's going on?" the man asked, running up to the fallen girl. When he saw Lilo, he exclaimed, "My goodness! You're soaking wet! Why?"

"I had to feed Pudge the fish a peanut butter sandwich."

"Why on earth would you have to do that?"

There was a small pause before she replied in the most matter-of-fact way possible, "Pudge controls the weather."

Tenna couldn't help but let out a little giggle. Looking at the others, she could see that they were barely keeping their faces straight.

The man sighed. "Well, we're done today. Remember what you learned for next week. We'll be performing in front of a lot of people!" he called after the stampeding children.

Kairi noticed Lilo walking out, and followed her. By the time the other three came out, she was sitting next to her, looking at a green doll the girl had made.

"How is she?" asked Riku.

"She's alright," Kairi said, "She's just waiting for her sister to come pick her up.

"How far away is your house?" Sora asked Lilo, "We could bring you home."

"Are you sure we shouldn't just wait here?" Tenna wondered, "I mean, we just sorta show up and take her sister away. No doubt she'll freak out…"

Goofy, who had been waiting outside the building with Donald, sat on the steps, head lowered. "Sora doesn't listen to normal logic," he explained, at the same time Sora shouted, "Okay! Let's go!" He sighed. "See what I mean?"

For some reason, Tenna and the others had the urge to follow him anyway. _This mission is messing with my mind,_ she thought, slightly creeped out.

It wasn't long, however, before the group began seeing signs of the demon-like creatures again. They seemed to be following Lilo around at a distance. Perhaps they knew something they didn't? Of course they did. That was a silly question. But the point was to find out what secrets they had, eventually, so they could be stopped.

_They're gonna attack soon, aren't they? _Tenna thought, already knowing the answer. They attacked.

"Protect Lilo!" Sora shouted. The group began to create a ring around her, slashing at the creatures if they got too close. A yellow bar popped into Tenna's upper-left peripheral vision, titled "Health". One creature got past her, swiping a claw toward Lolo, and a tick of red appeared on the bar. She realized at that point that she also had a small grinning picture of herself in a circle on the lower-right of her vision. How long had that been there? A small arc was titled, "HP". As she was taking all of this in, she got hit by a monster, though no wounds appeared. Rather, a piece of the green arc darkened, and her picture glowed red and winced.

"_SO TOTALLY CREEPY!_" she yelled, catching the creatures off guard. She launched into a series of combination moves, including the one she had just learned a few minutes ago. She fought with all her strength, as did her companions.

Just as she began to weaken, and the bar for Lilo's health was nearly entirely red, Donald shot a bolt of lightning on the last creature standing, which disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Tenna collapsed, darkness rimming her vision.

"Here," a voice said, placing something in her hands. It was a Potion. She chugged it, noticing how thirsty she was. It quenched her thirst, and revived her low vitality. She lay back and sighed. "Thank you."

"No problem." She opened her eyes to Riku's face. And quickly shut them again. But not seeing him didn't help the redness building up in her cheeks, for she was lying in his lap. She let out a shaky giggle that sounded more like a frog that had gotten flattened by a shoe.


	9. Chapter 9: Hawaii

Sharing a Paopu

Chapter 9

"Do you guys like Elvis?" Lilo asked as Sora and the rest crowded onto and managed to fit on the couch in the living room. They shrugged, and shook their heads. "Never heard of—" Kairi began.

"You never heard of _Elvis?!_" Lilo was practically freaking out. "How can you not know who he is? Even little children on the other side of the _world_ know his name!"

"Well, you see—"

"_Sora!_" Riku elbowed him in the stomach.

A knock at the door stopped any further conversation. "I'll get it!" Sora shouted, leaping from his squashed position between Tenna and Riku. Tenna was especially glad to even out the spacing. She had been sitting next to Goofy, who had a very bad case of dog-breath.

A big black man in even blacker sunglasses stood outside, his bald head gleaming slightly in the afternoon sun. Lilo stepped up to Sora, watching him.

"Hi, there," the spiky-haired boy said cheerily, "Mister…"

"Bubbles."

Something snapped in Sora's brain. "Ex-squeeze me?"

"Your knuckles say 'Cobra'," Lilo stated, looking at his hand. Said knuckles cracked as he clenched a beefy fist.

"Cobra… Bubbles…" Nope, brain still hadn't recuperated yet.

"Don't ask…" he growled.

That snapped him back into sanity. He grinned, nervous. "Heh-heh… Okey-dokey!"

"Mind if I take a look around?" He made the simple question seem threatening.

"No problem, no problem…" he quickly moved aside, letting the door open farther. Why was it that he could take on giant fifty-foot Heartless courageously, but lost it all in front of people that were even the slightest bit intimidating?

Cobra Bubbles stepped into the living room to Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Tenna on the couch. The girls were having fun putting tiny braids in Riku's hair.

"I thought you didn't like girly things, Tenna…" He turned red when the huge man entered. Waving his arms in front of him, he said, "This isn't what it looks like! I was forced—"

"Do you two have a license to be here?" he asked, glaring at Donald and Goofy above his glasses.

"License? What do I need a license for?" Donald asked irritably.

"I've seen all I needed to," the man said, returning to the kitchen and exiting.

Suddenly, a young woman burst through the door Sora was just closing, flinging him across the room. "Lilo!" she shrieked, "Why didn't you wait for me? There are _monsters_ outside, and I don't mean the _tourists!_"

Lilo giggled. "Hee… Nice tourist joke, Nani…"

"You think this is funny?!"

Sora picked himself off the floor. "You don't need to worry," he said, snapping some vertebrae back into place, "We walked her home. She wasn't much trouble."

"Well, thanks," said Nani, "But I'm going to have to ask you to get out of my house."

"That's it? No reward? Or a nice dinner? Just 'Thanks, now leave'?" He slumped. "Come on, guys… Let's find someplace to stay tonight. It's getting late…"

"What are you talking about?" Riku called from the other room, "It doesn't get dark until we find someplace to say anyway. Plus, I still have braids in my hair!"

"Wait, what?"

"Hold on," the woman said. "There's more of you? Are all their clothes as ridiculous as yours?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You tell me."

"Wow, if she's that fascinated by our clothes, don't tell her about the rest of us," Donald said, rounding a corner and smirking, "I don't think she can handle a talking duck."

A crash on the kitchen floor indicated that Nani had fainted.

"Great," said Kairi, kneeling next to her. "Thanks a lot, Donald…"

"I think she may have deserved that," Lilo said, grinning.

A few minutes later, Nani jolted awake to a dog's face and a horrible smell. Plugging her nose, she asked, "You eat garlic or something?"

Standing up, Goofy pointed at Lilo. "She made me eat three cloves of it…" He looked at the floor, scuffing it with a shoe. "I'm sorry…"

Nani lifted herself onto her elbows, shaking her head in disbelief. In her kitchen, aside from her little sister, were a dog that walked on two legs, a talking duck, and four humans with odd clothing. The taller boy still had a small braid in his long, silver hair.

"Alright, what's going on?"

"Well, you see—We-can't-tell-you-everything!" Sora shouted the latter quickly as he tried to dodge Riku's elbow. Those things _hurt_. "But all you really need to know is we're here to get rid of the monsters, and figure out how to make that permanent.


	10. Chapter 10: Hawaii

Sharing a Paopu

Chapter 10

He was the only one awake when he saw the light stream from the night sky. It was green, Definitely not a color one would normally see in this situation. Sora quietly left the house to investigate. (Nani had ended up letting them stay there through Kairi's convincing skills) His footsteps woke Kairi up, who followed him outside.

"What is it, Sora?"

He turned around, just noticing her. "I saw something. I'm gonna take a look around for clues, if I can. Stay here; I'll just be a minute."

"I wanna come, too," Kairi replied, defiance in her eyes. "Twice I was the helpless Damsel in Distress that was always captured. Now I have a weapon to fight with. How can I learn to use it without fighting once in a while?" She leaned against him. "What's more, I don't want to lose you again…"

Sora wrapped an arm around her. "Okay, we'll go together." After a pause, he said, "Do you really think it's that dangerous?"

Kairi smiled. "With luck like ours, it's very likely."

The source of the light wasn't hard to find; it still let out a pulsing glow, in a patch of sugar cane. Just emerging from the crater it made was something that looked a lot like…

"Stitch?" Sora asked, amazed. He didn't look exactly like the Stitch he remembered. He had an extra set of arms, spikes, and antennae. But his face was as unmistakable as ever. "What are you doing way out—" He stopped as Stitch aimed two plasma guns at his face with both left arms and headed to the edge of the field cautiously.

"Chasing me. Keep quiet."

"Who's chasing you?"

Before he could answer, a blue plasma ray shot at them out of nowhere, hitting the ground near Stitch's feet. "Jumba!"

"You won't get away, Six-Two-Six!" a deep, heavily accented voice shouted. Soon, its owner was seen crashing through the sugar cane. He was large and stout, with two pairs of eyes and a strange nose, just to start. He was followed by a one-eyed, three-legged creature in a blue suit.

Without thinking, Sora made his Keyblade appear. It was shot out of his hand by Stitch.

"Don't hurt him! Just run!" The little blue creature shouted. He guarded the two humans as all three made their way back to the house. At the door, Jumba stopped.

"Keh! Using little Earthlings to hide, eh? Well, two can play that game. Come on, Pleakley…" He stalked away.

"Look, Jumba! A whole flock of mosquitoes is resting on my arm!" his companion exclaimed, running excitedly after him.

Sora, Kairi, and Stitch were sitting in the dark kitchen. Stitch was removing his orange space suit.

"How are you going to take cover?" Kairi asked. "You don't exactly look like you'd fit in here…"

"When I first met him, he looked kind of like a dog…" Sora said. "Show 'er."

The middle pair of Stitch' limbs sucked into his stomach, and his antennae and spikes shrank as well. Now he looked similar to a blue canine.

"Impressive," Kairi said, smiling.

Footsteps made Stitch pull out his gun and point it at the source of the sound, but he stopped as Lilo peeked around the corner.

"More of you?" he asked, looking kind of annoyed.

"Yeah. Riku, Donald, and Goofy are here, too," said Sora, "You remember them, right?"

"He talks? What's his name?" Lilo asked, a smile on her face.

"Stitch," Sora told her, then added, "But don't tell Nani he can talk.

"Okay." Stitch didn't say anything. Instead, he sighed and rolled away like a ball.

"We better get back to bed," Kairi said, watching him go, "It's late."

No one noticed the shadow that slipped through the window as they made their way back upstairs.

"Hey. Wake up. Tenna?" An arm was gently shaking her awake. It was still dark, and the voice wasn't that of any of her companions… If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that was the voice of her best friend, lost ever since… But why…?

"Nmh… Ailie?" She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and squinted in the low starlight, trying to get some sight of the speaker.

"It's been a while, huh?" she shadow whispered. Times have been good to you. I wish I could say the same." Suddenly, two dim, yellow rings of light appeared in front of her, slightly illuminating the face they belonged to… Which wasn't quite human.

"Ailie? It can't be—"

"But it is. Even now, though, I can't stay long. He's chasing me, and I can't hide in one place without being found after a while. I'm surprised I found you here, of all places… I'm glad I did, though, It's good to see you again."

"Ailie… What's happened to you?"

"Ansem stole half my heart's what happened! And doing so turned me into some sort of monster!" That last whisper was heard by Sora and Kairi, who had come back from downstairs. The light from the hall was enough to fully illuminate a bat-like humanoid shape, but with the distinct features of Tenna's old friend. They both made their Keyblades appear and began to charge at her.

"Wait!" Tenna said, a bit too loudly, waking Riku up, who instinctively materialized his own Keyblade. "Wait," she said again, more quietly this time. Ailie backed away, cowering slightly.

"I don't wanna run anymore…" she whimpered. "Tenna, who are these people?"

"You know this Heartless?" Kairi asked, suddenly unsure of her actions. She put her Keyblade away.

"_Half_-Heartless," the bat-girl replied, a bit of confidence showing through for a second.

"Half? Where's the other half?" Riku asked, also putting away his Keyblade.

"I don't know… But I'm trying to find it. Ansem took it from me."

At this statement, Sora smiled. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. We took care of him years ago," he said.

"Obviously, we're not talking about the same Ansem. I know the one you're talking about was killed three years ago, and after his counterpart took me, within the year he was also defeated." Ailie said, smiling. "_This_ Ansem is totally different."

"Jeeze, how many of him are there? At least we know who's behind all of this now…"

"It's not really him, though… Not completely… There are other people involved, myself included, indirectly."

"But... why would any of this have to do with _you?_" Kairi asked, confused.

"Because I'm the only one of my kind. Never before has a person been able to keep half their heart. They've been doing research on my characteristics and behavior this entire time."


	11. Chapter 11: Maleficent's Lair

Sharing a Paopu

Chapter 11

"Hmm… So, my dear, you have brought me back to that meddlesome boy, Sora… It's just my luck that you would hide in his company." A shadowy figure grinned slightly in the dim light as it looked at an image of Ailie on a table.

"Maleficent, er, sorry to bother ya, but uh… dere's someone here wants to see ya. Says it's important, and he can't wait." A chubby doglike creature peeked his head through the door. "And his orange eyes are startin' to creep me out…" Okay, chubby was an understatement. He even had that weird "fat accent".

Maleficent's smile vanished as she whirled at her lackey. "How many times do I have to tell you? Do _not_ enter my room when I am talking to things that can't hear me!" She sighed. "Fine… Bring him in, Pete…"

"Right away."

A figure with shoulder armor covering a long cape entered the room. His body shape seemed almost feminine, and his face didn't help, as his eyelashes were long and thick, with eyeliner and mascara sharply defining them. Long, silver hair fell to his waist.

"I believe I can help you in your endeavor to capture the half-Heartless, if you wish for my services…" the man said as he glanced at the picture that was still visible. "I'm sure she'll quite easily outwit the full Heartless at your command."

Maleficent's smile returned as a half-smirk. "And I suppose you would like to get in on this?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes… But I would rather have complete control over the girl, if I can…"

The witch chuckled at this. "Well, I'm sorry we can't work things out. As far as I can see, _you_ came to _me_ for _help_. Am I right?"

"I just need to get a leg up before I go on my own. I'm new to all this…"

Maleficent scoffed. "A likely story, I'm sure… Ansem…"

The man's eyebrow twitched as he half-smiled. "Why do you call me this? I have taken my own name, not that of someone else. Call me Szeiann"

"John?"

"_No!_" Szeiann stomped his foot like a spoiled child. "It's a _soft_ J! Like the _French!_ It sounds foreign that way!"

After an awkward pause, Maleficent said, "Fine. Szeiann… How do you spell that?"

"Um… I think it's uh… S… Z… 'Cause I like Z's… E-I-A… and two N's."

"I'll give you credit for being smarter than Pete. Now get out. We have much work to do, and I'm sending you on a little mission."

Szeiann stalked out of the room, and Maleficent returned to the image on the screen. "Haha… I shall soon have you for my own, and finally figure out what gives Heartless their abilities. Oh, yes… There is so very much to learn from this one specimen… With her, I shall conquer all the worlds and rule over them!" She raised her arms and laughed maniacally, just as Pete entered again.

"Maleficent?"

"Pete! Never. Ever. _EVER_ interrupt my maniacal laughter! _Do-I-make-my-self-perfectly clear?!_"

"Uh, yes, Maleficent. My apologies, Maleficent… I'll just leave now, Maleficent. Yipe!" He jumped in the air in time to dodge a green fire bolt and ran out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12: Hawaii

Chapter 12

"Fire!" Kairi and Tenna shouted together making an X symbol in front of their bodies with their arms, and a ring of flames encircled both of them.

"Good," Donald said. "Now for Thunder and Blizzard."

"Blizzard!" shouted Kairi, pointing her Keyblade at a stump. A large snowflake shot from her weapon, freezing the wood.

"Thunder!" Tenna yelled, raising her right arm. The stump was shot with a single lightning bolt and burnt to a crisp. The picture at the edge of her vision also had an arc of blue that apparently represented magic, because a hefty chunk was now gone.

"Excellent, Kairi!" the duck said, clearly pleased.

"What about me?" Tenna asked.

"Eh… It was decent…"

"I love you, too."

Sora appeared with Goofy, his eyes focused on a finger trap Lilo had given him. "I'll get it… one way… or another…" he said, pulling his fingers apart, only to make it tighter. "Man, this thing is impossible!"

"I got mine first try," Goofy said. "I can tell ya how to—"

"I can do it! I almost have it! Just… gimme a second… Almost… Nah…" His shoulders slumped. "How's the magic coming along?"

"Really well," Tenna said, looking at the contraption. "Finger trap? Here, lemme see."

"Nuh-wanna-do-it!" Sora whined, causing Tenna to feel a bit uncomfortable and back away.

"Sora, you're obviously not getting anywhere by doing that," Kairi said, "Just let her help you."

"Muh-fine…" he said, holding his finger-trapped hands out. She easily got them out.

"There. Now you know how to do it for next time."

"Um, actually, I wasn't watching."

"Wha—Fer… Nrrgh…" Tenna placed her palms on her temples in frustration. "Well, next time you have one of those, you're on your own." She grinned wryly.

"OK. Hey, check this out." Sora said, pulling out a pair of pompoms from his pockets. "Lilo gave them to me. I love them."

There was a small pause. "You're totally random."

"It's not random, they opened a new door. Goofy, Riku and I went back to the ship, and we get to go to Radiant Garden now. You get to meet Leon and Cloud and Yuffie, and Aerith… and lots of other people." He shook the pompoms wildly with glee.

"But what about Ailie and that guy that's chasing Stitch, or whatever his name is? We're just going to leave them?"

"It always turns out that no matter how long we're away, they won't make their move until we get back. Don't ask me how it works, it's just some sort of law. They can't do anything if we're not here."

Tenna grinned. "Then we should get going. Let me take care of something first."

She walked around the demolished tree stump to a metal beam shaded by tree branches. Hanging off the beam by her feet was Ailie, taking a daytime nap. "Are you sure you want to stay here?" she asked softly. The girl shifted a bit and let out a low "Mm-hm…"

"You know they can come at you when you're not expecting it…"

"I don't wanna put you in danger…"

"Wouldn't it be better if you stayed with a big group of people?" Tenna asked, "He sounds powerful…"

"That's the point." Her friend turned her head to look at her with those alien eyes. "I'd rather just go quietly rather than put you all in danger…"

"Alright." Tenna reached up and placed her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "But be careful. And try not to get caught just so you can give up and stop running." She smiled. "That means you need to hide. I'll try to get back when this is all over, and we can go back to Cielle together, and you'll be your old self." She let her hand drop, and began to walk away.

"Goodbye…" Ailie quietly called.

Tenna turned around and smiled again. "Goodbye. I know we'll see each other soon."

"Yeah…"

She slowly strode away, watching her feet take reluctant steps toward the ship.


	13. Chapter 13: Gummi ship, Radiant Garden

Chapter 13

"Aw, crap!" Sora shouted as they settled into their seats on the gummi ship. "I forgot to ask Ailie what the new Ansem looked like!"

Riku, who was at the cannon control panel, kept his eyes on the radar screen as he answered, "I'm guessing he looks a lot like the other two. You know, white hair, orange eyes… The standard stuff…"

"Right."

Suddenly, instead of a soothing pop song on the radio, the chipmunks' voices crackled into the speakers. "Chip and Dale, here!" the huskier one said.

"We have an incoming message. I don't know who it is, but it's coming from Radiant Garden!"

"Put it on-screen," said Sora.

The windshield of the ship changed. Instead of the starlit sky outside was a woman's face. At least everyone thought it was a woman, until he spoke in a menacing baritone voice.

"Ahem… Is this thing on? Oh, we're recording?" He cleared his throat. "Good evening, Sora…"

"He knows my name!" he shouted.

"_Shh!_" Tenna put a finger over her lips as the man continued.

"I believe you have someone in your possession. A half-Heartless, I believe, that rightly belongs to me. That is to say, it belongs to the person you call Ansem."

Sora growled. "Ansem…"

"But I am not called Ansem. I go by a different name that I chose myself, thank you very much. My name… is Szeiann. Like the French." Some snickers were heard in the background of the recording. "Shut _up!_ I _like_ this name!" He focused on the camera again. "Until we meet face to face, Sora… Adieu." He stood up and walked away, but the recording was still running. "Now, where's my coffee? I was promised a vanilla coffee when I was done. Where—oh, for crying out loud…" The room faded to static, and, when Donald shut off the screen, the stars.

"Half-Heartless…" Tenna thought out loud. "He means Ailie. We have to find him and stop him! I say we split up. One group goes to look for him, and the other one contacts that guy you know… Sora, your group can do the second one."

"Why my group?" he asked.

"Because you, Donald, and Goofy know where to find him."

"Okay," said Donald. "We'll draw straws for who gets to go where." He pulled out five toothpicks from his jacket and held them out. "Red goes with Sora, green goes in the second group."

"Where'd you get those?"

"I went to a restaurant the other day and took a whole bunch of them because they were free, then I colored on them with Sharpie because I was bored. So you gonna draw the straws, or what?"

Everyone except Sora took a toothpick. Kairi let out a delighted "squee", for hers was one of the reds.

Tenna's was green. Donald glared at her and lifted his to show it was also green.

"Gawrsh, what color is mine?" Goofy asked.

"Red. I have the last green one," said Riku. Tenna checked hers again as her heart skipped a into high gear, quickly reddening her cheeks. That was probably about the fourth or fifth time she had that day. Sora laughed. "I could fry bacon on your face!" he said. That only succeeded in making her blush harder.

Just then, an annoying beeping sound came from the radar screen, and Riku and Donald returned to their positions at the weapon controls and steering wheel. "Buckle up!" Donald shouted as he quickly maneuvered the ship to one side.

For the next two or three minutes, all that could be heard within the ship was the sound of lasers, cannons, and explosions, accompanied by jostling on board. Every now and again, through a side window, Tenna could see enemy ships either flying by or crumbling and burning, having been hit. Soon, the keyhole at the end of the path appeared, and they shot through.

Radiant Garden was unlike anything she had ever seen. There were beautiful stone buildings everywhere, and now and then, a small spark light drifted down from the sky.

Goofy smiled. "Gawrsh, they really patched things up around here. But then again, it has been a couple a' years since we last visited…" He turned to Tenna. "This here place used to be called Hollow Bastion. Maleficent took it for herself, but we took care of her once. But later, she came back, somehow. We don't know where she is now, though. She and her minion, Pete, left before we fought Xemnas all that time ago." He looked out over the buildings. "I wonder if we'll run into her again… I guess we'll know when we see lots a' Heartless running around. She loves those things, and they follow her like… like… Well, like dogs."

"Oh, man… I could live here forever," Kairi said, spinning in a circle, head tipped up and eyes closed, like she was standing in the middle of a downpour. Then she stopped. "Or at least for a little while. I still like it at the islands, even though I was born here…"

"Maybe we can find a house to live in when this is all over," said Sora. "But let's split up and finish our missions first. So, uh… we'll go this way," he pointed down one street a few feet from them, "And you guys go some other way. When you're done, Donald, you lead them back to Leon's place. We should still be there. If you're not back by tomorrow, we'll go searching. Good?" Donald, Riku, and Tenna shrugged, unsure. "Okay!" He waved as his group headed toward Leon's house.

"So, where do you wanna start?" Tenna asked. "I just hope we don't run into—"

She was never able to finish her sentence, for an arrow shot inches from her nose. She turned, and met her first Heartless.

"These are new," Riku said, "Natural Heartless, but still, not one I've seen before… Is your magic good enough to take these guys?"

"I think so," Tenna said, taking her chakram from her belt. "I hope I can actually hit a moving target… What about you?"

"Never needed magic," he responded. For a second, he pulsed and flickered, Within moments, his outfit was replaced with a skintight suit with a low cape that some might call a skirt if they saw him from behind. "I think we can get 'em."


	14. Chapter 14: Radiant Garden

Chapter 14

And so, just to be a jerk to readers, the scene changed from an interesting fight to a boring stroll through the side streets of Radiant Garden. Sora was enjoying it; one could tell by the way he kept his hands folded behind his head as he walked.

"I hope those guys aren't getting into trouble already," he said with a grin. "It's only been about a minute or two." He watched six sparkles drift down lazily, and caught the closest one. He stared at it as it glittered in his palm, weightless, as if the slightest gust of wind would blow it away, perhaps even scattering it into smaller particles. He dropped it, and watched it float to the street, then stream through the grout between the cobblestones to various buildings, almost like circuitry in a computer. He smiled, thoughtful. "Heh… Guess Leon's been working with Tron to get things all cyber-y around here…"

"Tron?" asked Kairi, curious, "Who's that?"

"Pretty much, he's a computer program, but he runs the entire city's security system and anything else that requires techno-logic. I don't understand any of it, but Leon and Cid can figure that kind of stuff out."

"Hey! Here we are!" Goofy exclaimed. He walked up to a door before Sora could stop him, if he was trying to stop him, that is. The talking dog opened the door, and was instantly smacked in the face with a pan a sturdy old woman was wielding.

"That'll teach you dang robbers to mess wit' me!" she shouted before shamming the door closed again.

Kairi stood over him, smiling. "This is the reason Sora leads, and you follow. He can tell different-colored houses apart."

"Gawrsh…" he groaned as he heaved himself up and followed her into the building right next door.

As Sora opened the door, Cid was the first person they met. The scruffy blond was sitting at his computer, diligently typing away. "Hey there, Leon… Come look at this."

Sora, Kairi, and Goofy stood in the doorway, somewhat confused… No one else was in the house… Maybe they were mistaken for him? "Uh, we're not Leon…" Goofy began.

Cid turned, a smug grin on his face. "You guys ain't, but I wasn't talkin' to you. Turn around."

The three turned in unison, to find the tall, mysterious man directly behind them. They quickly cleared the way so he could get inside. He was closely followed by a small young woman with short, black hair; the great Ninja Yuffie. "Hey, guys," she called cheerily as she scurried around the room, picking things up that she thought useful.

"You came just in time," Leon said, adjusting his fur-lined coat. "Aerith is coming in a minute with something I want to show you."

"Does it look cool?" Sora asked. "Is it shiny? I only like cool, shiny things." Kairi and Goofy sighed in unison.

"Well, it's not, shiny, but—" Sora began walking away. "OK, I guess you don't want to see something that's fun to poke." Sora turned to him with rapt attention. Again, Kairi and Goofy sighed.

"It's a real live brain!" Yuffie shouted as Aerith walked in holding something in a large fishbowl.

Kairi gasped in shock, and Goofy raised a questioning eyebrow, but Sora rushed to it and immediately began to poke it.

"Lay off!" he heard a voice shout, and a sharp pain shot across his wrist. "Just because normal brains can't move doesn't mean I can't! Just because _I_ was left without a body doesn't mean I'm not a person, too, _alright?!_"

Awkwardly, Sora backed away from the brain.

"It's been talking trash to me since we found it," Aerith explained. "Luckily, that's about all it can do, other than hit people."

"Do not mock me!!" the brain roared, "I am the great Samzen! Fear me, for I shall be your doom!!!"

"Riiight…" Kairi said, a small smile creeping across her face.

Later, after they had put the brain named Samzen in a closet, accompanied by a stream of curses, they convened around Cid's computer.

"So, what should we do with it?" Goofy asked, watching the door with apprehension, as if Samzen would use its limited mobility to somehow turn the doorknob and escape.

"More importantly," Kairi said, "where did it come from?"

Sora didn't say anything right away, but as the silence grew, he suddenly stiffened and shouted, "_Ansem!_"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Its name is an anagram of Ansem with a Z! Just like Xemnas, only his was with an X. But you see, both he and Zehanort's Heartless took the name Ansem or a variation of it. Maybe," he paused. "Maybe who gave us the message isn't really…"

"Then that would mean…" Goofy's nose paled.

"Kairi also realized what had happened. "We may well have sent the others after an imposter. But what would he want with Ailie? The only other people really interested in things like that were Ansem the wise, and…"

Sora knew exactly who it was, and finished Kairi's sentence. "Maleficent."

"But we can't get 'em until tomorrow afternoon, because we don't even know where to go look for 'em," Goofy said, a troubled expression on his face.

A pause, and Sora yelled at the top of his lungs in frustration, causing everyone in the room to cringe.

Riku, Donald, and Tenna yelled at the top of their lungs as the girl and the duck cast their magic, and the boy cast what looked like darkness itself in the form of a fireball, which shot out of his Keyblade.

The Heartless weren't easy, and they effortlessly dodged that weren't accurately placed. Soon, they were taken care of, but it left the trio quite winded.

"Those guys definitely have a boss," Riku said, reverting back to his normal form. "To have so many Heartless concentrated in one area like that means they have to have something higher up telling them where to be."

"We'll have to fight it to get to that guy?" Tenna asked. "Oh, what was his name?"

"Something like 'John', I think," Donald replied.

"Wasn't there something like 'French' in it somewhere?" She paused. "What's French?"

"How would _I_ know?!" the duck shouted.

"Can we focus, please?" Riku said, irritation showing in his eyes. "We have to find whatever his name is quickly, before things get really bad. And I hope I don't have to go into detail on what that would mean. All we really have to know, is once it gets to a certain point, I don't think even Keyblade bearers can be any use. So let's go." He began to walk through the circuit-streets at a determined pace.

Tenna and Donald watched him for a bit, too shocked to move, and then looked at each other. Donald glared at the girl, and ran after Riku. It took her another second of shock, this time at the duck, before she followed, too.


	15. Chapter 15: Hawaii, Radiant Garden

Chapter 15

Ailie shifted quietly from her shadowed perch that night. She sensed something approaching… something that was able to control full-blood Heartless. Half of her wanted to go toward the sensation, but the human half of her fought to keep it under control.

_Stupid… trying to keep my heart…_ she thought, frustrated. _I should have just let it all go, so I wouldn't have to struggle with things like this…_

She ducked between the rafters of the abandoned shack and watched the streets of Hawaii carefully. Soon, a long, tall figure strode down the path, followed by a giant… what she could only assume to be a dog that walked on two legs.

"Maleficent, uh… are ya sure we're in the right place?" Man, his voice was annoying… "I mean, uh… the brats' ship ain't here no more. She musta gone with 'em."

"That's why I sent Szeiann," the witch said, annoyed with the extra baggage. "That way, if she did, he could catch all of them in Hollow Bastion. And then if she's _not_ with them, I can take care of her."

"But Maleficent… Uh, didn't they rename that place?"

"I prefer not to mention that vile name. I will continue to call it Hollow Bastion."

"Yes, Ma'am…"

_Now may be a good time for me to leave,_ Ailie thought to herself. Her Heartless half pulled earnestly toward the witch. _Come on, I need you,_ she explained to her alien half. _We have to get out of here. I need to make a portal to this Hollow Bastion place. _There was a reluctance to obey, but eventually she was able to create a portal to her destination just as Maleficent's face turned toward her hiding spot.

It was nighttime in Radiant Garden; the perfect time for Cloud Strife to walk along the streets to meditate and be mysterious. (The latter was something he always did, but for some reason, he was better at it when the sun was gone.) He watched the glowing light currents on the street, nearly walking below a portal forming. Had he not heard its distinctive noise, he would have been landed upon by the half-Heartless batgirl that emerged from it. Ailie flapped her wings a couple times to balance herself and land lightly, then found the tip of a giant sword directly in front of her face.

"If you want to live, Heartless, don't make any sudden moves."

Ailie merely stared at him and began walking away. The Heartless half of her wanted to attack, but it was still best to steer clear of him for now.

Cloud watched her leave, shaking his head. It was definitely a Heartless, but it seemed to be capable of rational thought. He decided to keep an eye out for reappearance, and maybe warn Leon. Though he hesitated at the thought, he knew he might need as many eyes as possible in the town. It really couldn't hurt. He began walking with purposeful strides toward Leon's house, all the while making sure to act mysterious.

He opened the door to find a brain inside a fishbowl of some sort of fluid, resting on a box on top of what looked like an electric wheelchair. Two robotic arms snaked out of the sides of the box with simple grasping claws at the ends. It seemed to know the door was open and quickly maneuvered the chair past him, knocking him over in the process. He could have sworn the brain itself laughed maniacally. The fact that he had been knocked down showed that his brain was completely baffled from the randomness of the encounter. He picked himself up and shut the door behind him.

Leon was the first to emerge groaning and mumbling from the back rooms, with Yuffie and Sora right behind him. Sora smiled. "This is the first time I've seen you so frazzled, Cloud. What're you doing this time of night?"

Cloud quickly changed his expression to its usual, mysterious look, mentally slapping himself for showing an uncommon face. "I saw a Heartless in town that wasn't like the others… Almost like the ones that were being created from the machines… Only there's no symbol on this one."

"Anything else significant about it?" Yuffie asked.

"Um… It was about this high," he raised his arm to just about Yuffie's height, "and looked like a humanoid bat…"

"That's Ailie!" Sora shouted. "She's not a Heartless… Or, at least not really… But she won't hurt anyone!" He paused. "But why is she _here?_"

The half-Heartless girl trudged through the streets, For some reason, she couldn't control her Heartless side as well here. Perhaps there was someone controlling true Heartless in the town somewhere. However much she wanted to get rid of the thing she was being unwillingly drawn to, she would have to find it afterward. For now, there was something else on her mind.

Little did she know, something else was searching for _her_…


	16. Chapter 16: Radiant Garden

Chapter 16

"Riku, wait up!" Donald shouted. Tenna took her time catching up. For some reason, she felt the two of them should have some time alone to plan their next move. She wasn't too good at strategy most of the time. Even if she was, she was too disorganized to remember it all. She laughed as she watched Donald's legs pinwheel as fast as they could to follow Riku.

"I almost blew up in her face," he said, as Donald was finally able to keep up. He had slowed to a brisk walk, but the duck still had to jog. "But I have to be strict with her if she's going to survive…"

"Riku? What are you talking about?" Donald asked him. "Why'd you even bring her here in harm's way if you knew she would be vulnerable?"

The blue-haired boy sighed. "I still have a feeling she's somehow connected to what's been happening." He stopped and turned around. "Speaking of which, where'd she go?"

"She wasn't _that_ far behind us," Donald said, trying not to show his concern.

They heard a startled shout from around the corner of the street a ways off. It was Tenna, Riku was sure of it. The duck and the young man raced toward the sound. Riku had to smile for a second. That girl definitely was _not_ girly if she didn't scream. At least she had a _little_ courage.

As they rounded the corner, they came upon a caped figure with long, silver hair. His back was to them as he stood facing Tenna. He slowly turned to them, at the same time moving aside to show the girl crumpling to the ground.

"You!" Riku shouted, pointing at him. "I know you! Shawn!"

Szeiann's eyes flared in anger at his name being mispronounced again, but he merely let out a low "Hrrmph," and began to fade. Riku tried to strike at him before he disappeared completely, but only hit air. Letting his Keyblade fall and vanish with a burst of light, he fell to his knees and placed his hands on the road, head hanging.

"Darnit… I almost had him…" he looked at Tenna's prone form. Was she breathing? Yes. Good. He just had to give her something to revive her and she'd be fine. He searched his pockets. They were empty. Why did he have to be out of items when he needed them the most? "Hey, Donald, you got some magic left for—" He didn't get to finish, because as he turned to the duck, he found him using the last of his power to cast a giant Blizzaga ball into the air in frustration. When he finished, he glanced at Riku, realization hitting him.

"Heh, oops…"

Riku let out a frustrated sigh, trying not to react to his thoughts of simply strangling the bird for his current stupid move. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Come on, let's get her to Leon's and report. Lead the way." He had to resort to carrying Tenna back. As he turned her over to a position for easy lifting, he noticed a white line that started on the middle of her left cheek, streaked across her eye, and ended just above her hairline, causing whatever follicles that were growing there to turn bleach-white.

"Oh my gosh… _I_ did this to you…" he whispered as he lifted her like a small, sleeping child. "I'm so sorry…" He was unable to contain the single tear that emerged from his eye. Thankfully, Donald was in front of him, following the streets to Leon's house to reunite with Sora, so no one else even knew it happened.

Cloud leaned against the door. "Did you guys know there was a brain in a—"

"Samzen!" Sora shouted, interrupting him. "Where is he now?"

Suddenly, the door flew inward, knocking Cloud over a second time. Riku was standing in the doorway, holding Tenna upright with one arm. The injured side of her face was against his chest and blocked from everyone's view.

"Sora!" he shouted as the blond man picked himself up, embarrassed. "You always waste your munny on items! I need Phoenix Down!" Leon and Yuffie dashed out of the house to look for Samzen, Donald and Cloud close behind. All that were left in the room were Sora, Riku, and the unconscious Tenna.

Sora tossed Riku a box. "Here's your Phoenix Down. Those things are expensive, so tri to keep your girl out of trouble."

Riku fumbled with the lid and nearly dropped the container trying to retort to the unexpected comment. "Mine? How can I own anyone? She's not property!"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

Riku could feel his face getting warm. Whether it was from anger or another feeling, he knew his face was flushing. He looked at Tenna's relaxed face and its marred surface, and sighed. "I don't think it's time yet. I have a feeling it will have to grow a bit more before anything significant happens. I don't even think the paopu affected this meeting."

"But you sending it was what brought you two together," Sora pointed out, smiling. "I can tell you care about her."

"I can't deny that, but I don't think either of us are really at the point of _love._ At least not yet. Who will be the first to say anything, we'll just have to wait and see. If anything, she'll say something first."

"I always thought it would be the opposite," Sora said, dodging a fist. He paused before continuing. "But I have a feeling you _should_ be the _first_ one. You sent the fruit in the first place."

Not wanting to talk anymore, Riku opened the box and pulled out a small golden feather. When he dropped it onto Tenna's head, it glowed for a second, then disappeared. But the white slash hadn't gone away. She opened her eyes, and he gasped in shock. The eye that had been scarred had turned pale blue and lacked a pupil.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She glanced at Sora, who had finally gotten a good view of her face. "A Phoenix Down should have healed that," he said, starting to get nervous.

"What are you talking about? Heal what?"

Riku let go of her, and Sora cast a small, smooth Reflect spell, showing her current appearance. She walked up to it and touched her reflection's face, her expression unreadable. Until it bloomed into an excited grin as she felt her own. "This is so _cool!_" she shouted happily.

Both Sora and Riku were taken completely off guard. A small blush reformed on Riku's face as he smiled, and quietly said, "You are always full of surprises…"


	17. Chapter 17: Lair, Radiant Garden

Chapter 17

Szeiann warped into Maleficent's meeting room. No one was around except her raven. It watched him with a haughty expression, which unsettled him. "What're you lookin' at, bird?" he asked gruffly, trying to hide his uneasiness.

"He sees your nervousness," a female voice said behind him. He quickly turned to see a tall, pale, blonde woman in sparkling white robes. "Don't be a fool and take animals for granted; they know more than they let on…"

"And who are you?" he asked, now becoming slightly irritable.

"I am the queen of a different world. I came here because Maleficent has promised me a larger territory if I was willing to help her reach her own goals."

Szeiann nodded, uninterested. "Where is she?"

"If you must know, she's preparing your next mission."

He chuckled a bit, looking away. "I wonder what she expects me to do… All I want is that half-Heartless girl… If I could somehow duplicate her, I would most certainly be more powerful than Maleficent…" He realized her raven was still in the room. "Oh… Right, then… I didn't really mean that." The bird flew off. Szeiann turned back around to the white woman, but she was gone.

"What's going on around here?" He scratched his head, and noticed one of his wide sleeves for the first time. It had a giant slice across it, barely missing hitting his arm.

"That kid's better than I thought…" he said with a slight smile.

"Naminé, do you feel it, too?" A blond-haired boy was facing an even blonder girl, smiling ever so slightly. They were surrounded by blackness. Naminé leaned into him, pushing her head against his chest.

"They're becoming closer, Roxas," Naminé said. "Maybe not in the same way we are, but they are developing feelings for one another."

Back at Hollow Bastion, Kairi sat on her bed. She had heard the conversation between Roxas and Naminé, for it had occurred in a sort of second dimension that connected her thoughts to Sora's, and it was where they could discuss things in absolute secret. It had happened ever since their nobodies had returned to their rightful hearts, and it was a wonderful ability.

She emerged from her room. Roxas had told Naminé about Tenna's scar, so she wasn't surprised when she saw her, much to her surprise, for she didn't know of the bond between the two, but she didn't ask about it.

"So what exactly happened?" Sora asked, resuming the previous conversation.

"I can't exactly say for sure," Tenna said, running a hand through her hair nervously, "He kinda materialized in front of me and pulled out this sort of gem… I don't remember anything between then and waking up here."

"Do you remember what it looked like?" Kairi asked, "The gem…"

Tenna held her fingers about ix inches apart. "This big, and deep red. It was narrow, maybe half an inch wide, and if you saw a profile view, it would look like a diamond with an extremely long bottom." She paused, seeming somewhat confused. "But how could I remember that muh detail when I only saw it for two seconds tops?"

"Photographic memory?" asked Kairi.

Tenna shook her head. "The only things I'm good at memorizing are quotes and music." A brief pause. "Maybe he engrained a memory of it into my brain when he sliced me with it… When you stop to think of it, it's kinda scary… Oh, man… This is all insane…"

Sora and Kairi jolted, suddenly remembering what they had to tell them. "That wasn't the guy we were looking for," Kairi said, urgency in her voice, "Sora and I figured out the real enemy is a brain that escaped soon before you arrived."

Both Tenna and Riku stared at her blankly. "A brain…" Riku expressed his confusion in the two words he spoke. "Our enemy is a brain…"

Sora nodded. "It made a Hoveround and split when Cloud came in. That's why no one's here except Aerith, and she won't be awake until morning."

Riku looked out the window to the east. A patch of gray was beginning to appear on the horizon past the glowing sparks in the sky. "But who was the other guy?"

Tenna sat on the floor and stared at the stones. "He wanted Ailie," she said, worry in her voice, "We have to find him quickly… Before he does something awful to her…"

Something lurked in the shadows as Ailie walked through the alleyway. She knew she was nearby. She had finally sensed it, and knew it was getting closer. Pretty soon it would show itself, and she would finally know what condition her other half was in.

It seemed she didn't have long to wait, for the shaded figure pounced on her, pushing both of them off a cliff.

While it wasn't a particularly high ledge, she spread her wings, shaking off her assailant. It – she – landed on the ground with a grunt. As she lifted herself, Ailie found that her left half was a fuzzy, white-noise equivalent of a Shadow Heartless, but in the form of an anthro cat; the exact mirror image of the half-Nobody in front of her.

"Found you," they said in synch, smiling grimly.


	18. Chapter 18: Radiant Garden

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Now, there are a few differences that must be noted between Ailie and her Nobody counterpart that may not be important, but are essential in describing because there are no pictures in this story. Ailie's hair was just above shoulder-length with very long bangs that were often in her face. A random clump of hair in the back was pulled into a partial ponytail. And she had the form of an anthro bat. The girl in front of her… Rather, half-girl… had hair that extended beyond her shoulders quite a bit, and her bangs were short enough to be out of her eyes, which were quite unusual. Her right eye, the one with the material body, was blue with a slit pupil. Her left eye was almond-shaped and pure white. It was probably the only solid-looking object on that half of her, aside from the clothing that was wrapped around it. She looked, for the most part, like a short-haired cat, but her tail was large and full, more similar to a fox's.

"We were both searching, and both have found," The half-Nobody said, grinning. "But one of us will claim everything." She made a slight bow, and Ailie lighted on top of the ledge. "But I will not forget my manners. I was named Aliixe by my mentor, who recently became nothing. I hope this battle will be enjoyable." And with a quick warp, she lunged at her other half.

"Where could he have gone?" Yuffie asked Leon as they jogged along the street. She looked back at Donald, trying urgently to catch up. That duck was slowing them down. "If you can't keep up with us, go back home!"

Donald stopped to glare at the young woman. "Fine." And with that, he turned on his heel and marched back to the house. But something made him stop. A shout of some kind. Whether it was of fear or anger, he couldn't tell, but he began approaching it. What he found was the scuffle between Ailie and Aliixe. Quickly assessing the situation, he ran as fast as his little legs could take him back to Tenna. He knew at least Ailie would listen to her.

"Gawrsh," Goofy exclaimed as he tapped a few more keys on Tron's keyboard. "You're a good teacher, Cid!" The two of them were in the postern, the dog-thing learning the basics of the computer's commands.

"Nah," Cid replied, "I just don't use them fancy words like this hunk o' junk over here."

"Let me remind you that insults will result in virtualization and de-resolution," a voice said from the speakers placed throughout the room.

"Precisely my point," he said resignedly. _That thing's cockier than I am,_ the thought, chuckling. Yawning, he casually checked Tron's clock. "Holy Kazus-fira chocobos!" he cried as he rushed in for a closer look. "It's past midnight! We had to be back at Leon's house three hours ago to make sure Samzen didn't try to escape!"

"Target Samzen has left the home of User Squall Leonhart and is making its way to the gate that leads to Gummi transportation," Tron announced. "Shall I lock the gate before he gets there?"

"IT'D BE NICE!" Cid yelled; a vein in his forehead threatened to burst. He hit the keyboard with his fists, Goofy's instincts telling him to move his hands out of the way if he wanted to keep them.

"Gate locked. Users Leon, Yuffie, and Cloud in pursuit. User Donald returning to Leon's home. A small dispute between a Heartless and a Nobody, and Aerith is still asleep."

Cid stopped him. "Hold up. Whadja say?"

"Aerith is still—"

"No, before that. And why did you even mention that about Aerith?"

"The second question I cannot answer as it is classified infor—"

"MOG POMS IT IS! What was the one before it?!"

"A small dispute between a Heartless and a Nobody. Donald was at the scene briefly, which was why it was recorded. No threat to civilians was detected, so the security system was not initiated. Should I initiate the system?

"No," Goofy said before Cid could get a word in. "They're alright if Donald left 'em alone."

At that same moment, Donald burst through the door. Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Tenna jerked their heads to see who had come in. This was the first time the duck had seen Tenna's scar, and it threw him off-guard for a second. "Uh… Ailie and a cat-girl are fighting. You better go break it up."

"Why didn't _you_ help her?"

"I think there's more to it than that," he said. "I don't think I can do anything with magic without upsetting her. Besides, you're her best friend."

She sighed. "Okay…" Picking up her weapons by the door, she followed him to the cliff, where the sight was truly one to behold. It reminded Donald somewhat of the battle he had witnessed between Cloud and his old nemesis, Sephiroth. While Ailie was whirling about in the air thrusting her wings out at her opponent, Aliixe had the advantage of quickly warping from place to place and swiping with her claws when there was an opening. From what Tenna saw, it was a pretty even battle. A fairly large group of Shadows and Dusks had come to watch, their own enmity forgotten as they surveyed the fight in front of them. Tenna could have sworn there were a few boxes of popcorn scattered among them. The spectacle would have been quite humorous if the attention was elsewhere.

"Ailie!" Tenna called to the half-Heartless. Both she and her half-Nobody turned to face her. Aliixe grinned as she landed on her feet perfectly. "I remember you. I used to be your buddy." She giggled. "Too bad I don't have feelings anymore." She pointed behind her at Ailie. "At least not until I kill her and take her half of the heart!"

Ailie touched down, confused, and took a step closer to Aliixe. "You mean you don't have the other half of—"

"I would look more like _you_ if I did!" she shouted, the fuzzy half of her crackling slightly as she whirled around to face her other. After a few moments, she drooped. "I'm leaving. But mark my words, I _will_ kill you." And with that, she was gone in a swirl of black that was not unlike torn fabric.

Ailie sighed. "Well, now I have _two_ things to find. Fun." She laughed, but it held no emotion.

Tenna placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Feel free to ask us for help when we're nearby, okay?"

Ailie placed her winged half-hand over Tenna's. "Thanks."

Donald grinned mischievously. "You two make a great couple."

That comment resulted in Tenna grabbing his throat and shaking vigorously. "SAY IT AGAIN, WHY DONCHA?" she screamed at him. Ailie failed at keeping a straight face and burst out laughing, this time truly conveying the joy within her.


	19. Chapter 19: Radiant Garden

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

"Confound it! The door's locked!" Samzen shouted, obviously angry. He told himself to calm down, lest he suffer an aneurism and die, seeing as he was only a brain in the first place. Blasted people and their blasted… It made him so mad. His machine-body had been destroyed by that blond-haired buffoon and his ridiculously huge sword. He chuckled to himself as he remembered knocking him over in his escape. But now the computer had locked the door to the brats' gummi ship and… Things were spiraling downhill fast, and he needed some way to get out of this place.

His answer came in a way he wasn't expecting. Suddenly, his glass container shattered, which sent him careening onto the cobblestones. "What the—" He sensed the presence of a red, tattered cloak, then nothing, as he felt himself get shoved into a sack.

Cloud was the only one who also saw a glimpse of the cloak. He didn't say anything, though, and merely smiled.

Yuffie and Leon, on the other hand, were chasing after a different character. A woman (or was it a man?) in light armor had captured Samzen. "Is that the imposter Kairi was talking about?" Yuffie asked. Leon nodded as he began charging his gunblade, preparing to disable him before he could warp out. If anything, he burned some of his own clothing before he did. "Darnit," he seethed, looking at his scorched pant leg.

Cloud soon caught up. "So what are we gonna do now?"

Leon glared at him. "I don't know," he said sarcastically, "I thought _you_ did."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I do."

Tenna had gotten bored of strangling Donald after he lost consciousness. Ailie had also left. So she began wandering around the city a bit. She soon realized this was a bad decision, as there was no longer anything she could use as a guide, and there weren't any maps around. She saw a couple chests lying about, but after several attempts, she gave up trying to open them. One pathway she went down had a lot more piping than she had recently seen, which sparked her curiosity. She had always loved pipes for their seemingly random direction, and pillars for their designs. Lost in the moment, she soon forgot that she was lost for real, and began descending the path to pursue the source of the pipes.

No sooner had she gotten to a fork in the road, when she noticed Goofy and Cid walking up from a metal ramp on her left. Goofy noticed her, and waved, smiling broadly. "Gawrsh, it's Tenna! How are ya?"

She had to stop for a second, simultaneously confused at the random encounter and glad she found someone to help her get out of here. "Goofy? Where in the world are we?"

"We're in the Postern. Ansem the Wise's computer is down that way." Cid said, pointing back in the direction they had come. "We're out now because I made a little mistake. We have to get to the gate quickly, and make sure that brain didn't get away from the others."

"Okay. Lead the way."

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were alone together for the first time in days. Granted, they were inside Leon's house rather than back home, but it still felt good to be with just your friends for a while. They sat at a wooden table near the door. Kairi sat next to Sora, who was across from Riku.

"So… what to talk about… Other than stereotypical 'How've you been' and all that," Kairi said awkwardly. A pause and nothing. "Come on, we gotta have _something_ to talk about…"

Sora shrugged. "I dunno…"

"You guys are no help," Riku said, chuckling a bit. "You pretty much just communicate telepathically now, thanks to your little incident. I feel really left out."

Sora and Kairi slumped. "Sorry," they said in harmony. "We were ignoring you a lot."

"Can you please stop the synchronized speech? It's starting to creep me out."

"No."

Riku hit his head on the table. "Let's think about our mission. Or rather, missions, plural. What have we got going for ourselves?"

"John," Kairi chimed in.

"Samzen," Sora said next.

"And also the weird things that sprang up…"

"And Ailie."

Riku lifted his head and crossed his arms on the table. "That makes four. Add a likely threat from Maleficent, and we have five. What are we going to do first?"

"Well, it seems Maleficent is tied in to at least Ailie, who indirectly is also tied in to John," Sora began. "The other two are unrelated to everything else, but still really important, especially since Samzen is as smart as he is."

"I guess what we need to think of is whether to get a whole bunch of them at the same time by going after the first three, or cut off the smaller threats before they get bigger," Riku said.

Sora immediately banged his fists on the table, a determined and passionate expression on his face. "Get 'em all at once!"

But Kairi shook her head. "I think we should get the other ones. Samzen is still just a brain in a Hoveround, but could very easily get some sort of body, mechanical or otherwise, if we just wait. And if we can find how many of these… demons… are in the worlds and eliminate them, it will be a lot of practice for when we take on Maleficent and everyone else."

Riku nodded. "I was kinda thinking the same thing. Besides, if what I think is true, if we leave them alone, those things may be able to multiply many times faster than Heartless. If we don't take the time to sever it at the source, we'll end up in bigger trouble than we could imagine."

Suddenly, Yuffie burst through the door. "We lost him! Someone picked him up; I think it was Shawn."

Kairi sighed. "Not good." A pause. "Can we assume John's part of the bigger picture now?" The boys nodded. "So what are we gonna do?

Riku answered, "The only thing I can see is to get after those weird things. They seem to have the most potential in causing the most damage if left unattended. And who knows? Maybe one of them will get killed off and help us out. No doubt they're gonna duke it out over something ridiculous."

Sora, Kairi, and Yuffie nodded in agreement.


	20. Chapter 20: Radiant Garden, Gummi Ship

Chapter 18

Chapter 20

"You want me to do _what?_"

Tenna, Goofy, and Cid had met up with Cloud and Leon, both groups on their way back to Leon's house to notify the DI Trio, as Tenna had unconsciously started to call them, of Cloud's plan.

"I want you to talk to the three of them and convince them to go after John. He took Samzen."

"Why me?" Tenna asked, bewildered. "This is the second time someone thought I could convince someone to do something."

Goofy laid a hand on her shoulder. "And the first time, did you convince that person to do it?"

"Yeah, but—"

"I'm sure you'll do fine. And if what I think is true, the long-haired kid has somethin' for ya," Cid chuckled, nudging her a bit, grinning suggestively. "Try going to him, first, and use that charm."

"What charm?"

He paused, scratching his head. "Um… You got me there. Just act like ya normally do."

"Okay?"

"No. Absolutely not." Riku said sternly when they got back. Donald had returned earlier, as well.

"What? Why?"

"Because we already decided when you weren't here, that's why."

"Thanks a lot, Cloud…" Tenna mumbled. Cloud, standing next to her, said nothing. There was nothing _to_ say. "Okay," she said cheerily. "I didn't think I would work either. But probably for a different reason."

"It's alright. Looked like you were just doing what you were told, not what you actually thought." This made Cloud shift uncomfortably.

"Anyway, we're not gonna worry about those guys for a bit and work on cutting off the source of these weird creatures." Sora said, trying to be reassuring. "If we don't, it'll just get uglier later on. Even with three extremely powerful people as our enemies, it's a lot better than millions of weaklings, right?"

Tenna didn't exactly get what he was saying, but she understood what he was at least _trying_ to say. "Right."

Cid stepped up. "So what're ya waiting for? You guys gotta go to other worlds already! Show this little lady how to have real fun!"

"W-what kind of fun? I didn't have fun yet?" Tenna asked nervously. The way that guy was grinning, you couldn't quite tell.

Sora propped an arm around her shoulder, because she was a little too tall for him to wrap it around both of them. "You haven't seen anything yet." He then paused to think. "Wait, we didn't get any more portals. We can't go anywhere until we open more."

Suddenly, the red gem Tenna had in her pocket began to glow. It rose into the air, and both it and Sora disappeared.

"Where'd he—"

"Just wait," Riku said. She didn't turn around to see where he was, but it sounded like he was uncomfortably close, like that time at her house, when he asked her that awkward question. It was a long time since she had burst into flame. Her face was probably very red again, too.

Just then, Sora faded back into view, his Keyblade drawn. The gem fell to the floor. Picking it up, he handed it back to her. "Thanks for that."

"Huh?"

He ignored her, and turned to Cloud, Cid, Leon, and Yuffie, who nodded as if they already knew what he was going to say. He said it anyway. "That's our ticket outta here. Hope to see you soon."

"We hope to see you again soon," a voice said from a doorway. Aerith had finally woken up, and was smiling at Donald and Goofy, who had been sleeping nearby. She emerged and lightly poked Donald with her foot. The duck woke up with a rage, knocking Goofy over in the process.

Sora pointed out the door with his weapon. "Onward!" he declared.

"Yay!" the duck and talking dog cheered in unison.

Back on the Gummi ship, Sora, Goofy, and Riku studied the screen they pulled up. "Seems we have two choices," Sora said. "Both of which involve transformations."

"I say we go to the familiar one first," Goofy said. He pointed to the world labeled "Pride Lands".

"But this place looks really cool," retorted Sora, pointing to the other option, called "Narnia."

"I can't really say for sure where I wanna go. They're both new to me," Riku said. "Sorry I can't help."

Goofy turned around and cupped his hand around his mouth. "Hey, girls. We need ya."

Kairi and Tenna were involved in the small project of adding small bows to Donald's feathers, but quickly abandoned the fuming duck to help them. After looking at both areas, they simultaneously jammed their fingers on a single world and stated, "That one."


	21. Chapter 21: Pride Lands

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Tenna landed in the new world on her feet. All four of them. She couldn't help but feel happy she and Kairi had both picked the Pride Lands. After all, she had always wanted to know what it would be like to be a lion. She immediately began romping, looking for things to tackle, because that is something one does when they are on four legs. Spotting a target behind a rock, she wiggled her bottom, swished her tail, and pounced.

"Ow!" The target screamed when she hit. "What's your problem, stupid?" It—he—shoved her off him, causing her to bounce off the stony ground and roll painfully onto her back. The dark, black-mane lion stood over her in a fashion that allowed her to see his face upside-down. He had a scar over his left eye, just like her, but it looked like he could still see out of it. He probably noticed hers, too, because his expression changed from anger to confusion. She was about to say something, when Sora rocketed out of nowhere and began beating the tar out of him with his Keyblade stuck firmly in his mouth.

"Take that, Scar!" he snarled around his weapon, with the lion, who was about twice his size, yelling at him and trying to fight back, "And that! And that! There's no way you're gonna haunt Simba anymore! Yah!"

"But I'm _not_ Scar!" the lion was finally able to cry out, irritated. He swatted at Sora, probably in the same fashion he had with Tenna, and shook himself off. "Scar's been… gone for years now…"

Sora finally got a chance to look at him more closely. Indeed, he wasn't as scraggly-looking as Scar was. And a lot younger, too. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Anyway, my name's Kovu," the lion said. "My pride banished me last night because they found out I had switched loyalty." He winked his scarred eye. "That's how I got this."

Sora was surprised. "I didn't realize there was another pride aside from Simba's."

"There wasn't until Scar died. My mother, Zira, is the leader of the exiled lions that want to overthrow Simba. But last year, I met Simba's daughter and—"

Sora's ears shot up and his jaw dropped. "Simba's got… Already?!"

Tenna, feeling a bit lost, stood up, shook leftover dust off her, and went to find the others and see what they looked like in this world.

"No, it's hind-left, fore-left, hind-right, fore-right. Again." Donald, now in a more aerial form, was teaching Riku and Kairi to walk in their new bodies, which seemed slow going. Goofy the Tortoise was acting as the example, mimicking what Donald was instructing them. Tenna wasn't sure why they would have any problem. She already had it down when they arrived.

"How in the world are you walking already?" Kairi asked, tripping and landing on her nose. Riku, at least, was staying upright, if a little unsteadily.

"Um… Practice?"

"How did you come across practicing for something like this?"

Tenna shifted on her paws. "Well… I played with my little brothers. Especially the baby. I would crawl around and pounce on them… and stuff… But you're right, I shouldn't be running around this much if it's my first time actually being on four legs for real."

"You're just that much of an animal, I guess…" Riku said, smiling and taking an unsteady step toward her. "What's Sora up to, by the way?"

"He's talking to a lion with a black mane—"

"Scar!" Goofy and Donald together, starting to head off in his direction. But Tenna blocked their path.

"No, he's not Scar. Sora already made that mistake. His name is Kovu." Donald tried to dash past her, but she grabbed him out of the air and sat on him. "Don't go near him, alright?"

"Get offa me!" Donald shouted furiously from under her rump.

"No."

Just then, Sora and Kovu approached. "He's seen some of those creatures nearby and agreed to help get rid of them," he said cheerfully. Kovu glanced at him, somewhat confused as to why he was so happy. "So let's go to Pride Rock and say hi to Simba. I'm sure he'll be glad to know you're loyal to him now."

Kovu hesitated. "I can't go there either. They found out what pride I had come from. I can't even see Kiara anymore."

Sora stomped his paw on the ground. "Now, that's just unacceptable. We'll turn things around for you, buddy. Won't we guys?"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted.

"I don't know if it'll be that easy. You don't seem to know society very well… Are you sure you're lions?"

Tenna started to deny it, but Sora gave her a look that seemed to say, "Quiet." She nodded and shut her mouth. Instead of say anything more, she joined up with the others, following Sora, Donald (now freed from Tenna's weight and flying somewhat haphazardly), and Goofy to a giant rock sticking prominently in the distance.

Simba, the king of Pride Rock, was overjoyed to see Sora again, greeting him with a playful tackle. "Hey, Sora. I'da thought you'd grown into your mane by now, but it's still as scrappy as ever." He glanced at Riku. "Like your buddy there." Sora glared at his friend, his eyes glowing with jealousy. Riku just smiled and began taunting him.

"You know what they say back home about—"

"Shut it!"

"What's going on out here?" a voice asked. A young lioness emerged from a cave.

"Nala!" Donald exclaimed.

Goofy shook his head. "No, that ain't Nala. She's got Simba's colors." He turned to the lioness. "Would you happen to be Kiara?"

Kiara took a step back. "How do you know my name?" she asked, frightened.

"How, indeed?" Simba remarked, eying them strangely.

"Kovu told us," Sora said.

Kiara's face lit up, and she smiled. "Really? How is he—?"

Simba interrupted her and glared at the others. "You spoke to that traitor?"

"Dad, he's not—"

"He's part of Zira's pride. He was sent to kill me, even doing something as low as claiming to be a rogue. He lied to us, and our pride was almost ruined. Did you want that to happen?"

Sora tried to intervene. "Simba, it's not like that—"

"Let me guess. He told you 'his side' of the story. That's not a very good source right now."

"Um… Your Majesty? May I call you Your Majesty?" Riku asked, padding forward. "If I know anything, I know treachery the most. I even went against my best friend because I thought it would be the best thing to do. I left everything that was important, and suffered for it. From what I've seen of Kovu made me realize how far I've come from my old self. I've made amends with my friends, and my actions are more or less a thing of the past. I was forgiven, and it felt like the best thing in the world. I can only imagine what that young lion feels right now."

Simba sighed. "I know you mean well, but an act like that cannot be forgiven. I'm sorry."

"Alright," Riku said, turning and beginning to walk out. "I understand. I'm glad to have met you. Goodbye, and thank you."

"Riku!" Kairi called, running after him. After hesitating and glancing back and forth between Kiara, Simba, and Sora, followed. Sora stayed to stare the Lion King down.

"You think you're going to change your mind through sheer force of will, aren't you?" Simba asked. His cheerful mood was all but gone with the news that his comrade had communicated with his enemy.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood abreast of each other, facing him. "We ain't leaving until you come with us," Goofy said. "Ya gotta listen to what that little feller has to say."

"I bet he could be useful if you need help later," Donald warned in a sing-songy voice. "You saw those new creatures, right? They're really scary-looking from what we've seen so far. You don't wanna mess with them if you get caught up in a fight."

"That's right," Sora said, grinning. "Six of us barely survived an attack of three. I don't know what'll happen if there are more, and you're the only one able to fight 'em off."

The three of them stood their ground for a little longer, Simba staring back. His daughter began to walk up to them. "Stay away, Kiara, this doesn't concern you."

Not even looking at her father, Kiara answered, "It does if you won't listen to news about my friend. I'm leaving, if you three want to join me." She dashed off as Simba shouted her name sternly.

"Come on, guys…" Sora said. With one last glance at Simba, they turned tail and followed.

"That was the longest speech I've heard you say so far this entire journey," Tenna told Riku, keeping pace with him as he sped across the savannah to the place where Kovu was waiting for them. He looked at her with an odd expression. A cross between embarrassment and pride.

"I don't know how to respond to that." Looking back, he slowed enough for Kairi to catch up. She was so small, like Sora. Come to think of it, Tenna was the only one of them that was anywhere close to normal lion size. Even as humans, Riku was barely taller than she was. Wasn't she the youngest of them, also? When they met her, she told them she had turned seventeen only a few days before. The same day he suggested building the second raft. Sora and Kairi had been seventeen years old for a couple months now, at least, and he would be considered an adult now. Either way, he hoped he would get a growth spurt within the next few years. Just to tip her off. It'd be fun.

Wait, what was he thinking? Why did he care if he was taller than her or not? Sora's words came back to him, causing him to stumble a bit.

_That's not what I meant, and you know it._

_I know you care about her._

What was going on? He'd never had feelings like this, even for Kairi. Especially when he teased Sora about it. He had just as much of a friendship with her as Sora did since forever, but nothing ever crossed his mind that he might actually _like _her. What did it mean when he felt like this toward someone he barely even knew? Sure, he'd joked around, but he did that with a lot of girls back home and it didn't change his view of them the way she did… Why?

"Riku? _Riku?_ Hey." He realized he had stopped running. Tenna was poking him with her paw on one side, Kairi calling him on the other. "The cave's that way," Kairi said, pointing with her nose. "You were kinda diverted and went off the path. And when you didn't answer us, we got really worried.

"Um, y-yeah…" Riku managed to say awkwardly. Glancing at Tenna and quickly turning around, he headed for the cave. If he hadn't been a lion, he was pretty sure he'd be blushing right now. Jeeze, why was he acting this way all of a sudden? What's so special about her? Why _her?_

Again, he was totally unaware of his surroundings and didn't notice something sneaking up on him, ready to strike.


	22. Chapter 22: Pride Lands

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Been waiting for you… Where's Sora?" Kovu got up from a rock slab just inside the small cave. A tunnel led somewhere in the back. Tenna was just about to go exploring when the lion stopped her. "I wouldn't if I were you. That place is a labyrinth and you'll only get lost.

Remembering the brief time she had gotten lost in Hollow Bastion, she quickly thanked him for stopping her. Instead she went back outside, where Riku had spaced out again. And she was glad she had. Behind him, a deformed shape had begun to draw some sort of weapon out of its reversed hands. It looked like a knife. And she couldn't carry her chakra in this form, even in her mouth like the others could. All she had were claws. How well would they work against this thing when her weapons _barely_ kept them off before? Her only hope was to snap him out of it in time to stop that thing.

"Riku! Look out!" she called out. She was glad he turned his head to her, but his reaction was more uptight than she had expected. He still didn't notice his surroundings, like she always saw him do. He didn't see in time before the thing leapt at him. She was too far away to do anything as it slashed at his back, causing him to roar in pain.

Riku's Keyblade had appeared in his mouth by now, and he threw his assailant off him. But instead of attacking again, it stood in front of him and stared to Tenna on the other side. The blood in her face seemed to drain away as it began to smile. Riku could hear some sort of raspy giggle coming from it. Turning to look behind him at Tenna, he shouted at her behind his weapon, "Get outta here! You're not helping anyway!"

Tenna extended her claws and growled back, "I'm not leaving you alone. I'm fighting."

"Idiot, you'll be killed without some sort of weapon!"

The entire time, the thing just looked at Tenna, grinning and cocking its head to the side, occasionally laughing, the action shaking its body into even more contorted positions. Riku stared it down. "Come on, attack already. You're ticking me off enough as it is."

It let out a loud cackle and leapt. But not at the Keyblade bearer in front of it. It jumped at the lone lioness with a scar across her eye.

"REFLECT!" she cried, crouching and ducking her head. A small, shimmering dome of condensed air formed around her briefly, and the creature rebounded off its surface, sailed through the air, and landed with a crash on the grass.

It got up slowly and stared her down, laughed maniacally, and spoke to her in a voice that made her imagine he had swallowed a piece of sandpaper made from rusty nails, shark scales, and porcupines. "You were marked… Now, all shall know your face. There will be no escape from us. Not until the Master is gone. You kill the Master, the Master kills us. It was a pact made long ago to the first of the Daemon. The one to kill the comrade of the Half-children will become the new Master and reunite with the old Master. In doing so, we shall become one and rule the worlds." It cocked its head again. "So die!" Cackling again, it lashed out at her. It was too swift for her to even utter a spell. She was going to die if—

She felt something. But it wasn't anything sharp. It was… warm… really warm. It felt nice.

"You need better reaction time." Riku snapped at her.

She blushed under her fur and spluttered, "But— w-well, he was saying something important. I couldn't just…"

He sighed. "I heard what he said… Sorry I lashed out."

"No need to apologize. It's been kind of awkward having everyone be nice to me all the time. I enjoy having reasons to give back a sarcastic answer every now and then."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Maybe." she noticed he was still leaning against her. Was the enemy still there? Her answer came soon enough when Riku skidded back a little. "Darnit, what are Kairi and Kovu doing?"

Kovu sneezed. "This place isn't that dusty, is it?" He shook his head to clear it. "You're sure your friends can hold their own if they're attacked?" He peeked out of the cave's entrance, quickly bringing it back in. "Um, they're holding, but it looks like they're having trouble, and Tenna doesn't seem to be able to attack..."

Kairi joined him. "Maybe not physically, but it looks like she's doing pretty well with spells…"

"Spells?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's hang back and see what happens." She stood at the ready anyway. "We'll go if things start getting really bad."

"Thunder!" Tenna called out, focusing her gaze on her target. A large bolt, similar to the one she had created for the tree stump, struck the Daemon, charring it quite well. This lowered its defense enough for Riku to jump in and slash at it with his weapon. "You're welcome!"

"Shut up and help some more!" Crap. He did it again. Why was he always rude to people under pressure? Okay, who wouldn't be, given the situation? One last stab at the thing, and it dissolved into smoke. Riku lowered his head, and spat out his Keyblade, and it disappeared.

Again, he didn't see he was about to be attacked. Tenna barely noticed the tiny, scorpionlike creature that was about to jab its giant poison tail into his foot. She didn't really know what was happening, but for a second, she blacked out. She barely registered the loss of consciousness. What she did notice was the lack of Daemon in the vicinity… and the Way to the Dawn clamped in her jaws. She was too shocked to say anything. She merely collapsed and dropped the weapon. Riku's expression was no better. He seemed almost frightened.


End file.
